The team with their robots
The team pictured with their winning robots

Biola University’s Robotics Club took home top prizes at the 2025 Gear Slingers Open at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on March 1, 2025 and earned an invitation to the upcoming world championship. Led by students Ryan Ong, a computer science major, Jaran Mann, robotics major, and J.T. Lam, an engineering physics major, the team traveled to compete in the VEX U regional tournament, which features collegiate teams competing in high stakes challenges using custom-built robots. 

In its first year of existence, Biola’s robotics club — named EMP, short for Engineering Meets Programming — not only put Biola University on the robotics map, it leap-frogged established robotics programs from California Baptist University, Mt. San Antonio College, and Cerritos College and nearly de-throned Cal Poly SLO, the three-time reigning state champions at this year’s competition.

"The Biola Robotics Team has risen through the ranks of Collegiate Robotics by Being Brilliant for Christ," said Dr. Yohan Lee, associate dean of technology. "They saw the opportunity to exceed the competition by outcompeting their peers with creative AI and Autonomy embedded into their robot. Our NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory external reviewer noted that, 'Everything we do is autonomous at JPL, and it is clear your team had an edge with sophisticated Computer Science and AI.'"

Team EMP earned the Design Award for their two robots, nicknamed “Timmy” and “Ricky,” and scored enough points in the Skills event to earn a 2nd Place ranking in California and a Top 25 ranking in the nation. Ong served as Captain and Lead Programmer, Mann served as Captain and Driver and Lam served as Lead Design and Mechanical Engineer. The team's performance ultimately earned them an invitation to the prestigious 2025 VEX Robotics World Championships, to be held in Dallas, TX, on May 9, 2025.

Team EMP members also included Christian Meineke, Tyler Hill and Yile Lin, all engineering majors, Ben Stewart, Cinema and Media Arts major, and Chris Gruytch, a computer science major. Students were supported by School of Science, Technology and Health professors Dr. Genti Buzi, Dr. Yohan Lee and Dr. Grace Ni.

“Given the B.S. in Robotics launched in only 2023 and then the Robotics club in 2024, this accomplishment is simply amazing,” said Dr. Matthew Rouse, dean of the School of Science, Technology and Health. “It speaks highly of our talented students, Dr. Buzi, Dr. Ni and Dr. Lee.”

The bachelor's of science in robotics offered at Biola's School of Science, Technology and Health is a robotics engineering degree designed to equip students for work and advanced study in robotics and robotic technology. Students will learn modeling, design, programming and control of robotic platforms, and gain a solid understanding of real-world applications of computation, sensing and actuation. Learn more and apply to the program on the website. 

Written by Biola staff. For more information, email media.relations@biola.edu.