A&M-Victoria hosts Math & Robotics Awareness Day
When Mason Rhodes’ name was called at the awards ceremony during the 29th annual Math & Robotics Awareness Day at Texas A&M University-Victoria, the Victoria East High School sophomore was more surprised than anyone.
He hadn’t walked into the event expecting to win. In fact, he only thought he might make the podium, he said. But as the list of award winners came and went in between the buzz of excited students, his work rose to the top, earning first place in this year’s computer science competition.
The 29th annual Math & Robotics Awareness Day is funded by a grant from Alcoa Foundation. The event is hosted during the spring semester to commemorate STEM disciplines and to honor Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month, an observation that dates back to 1986 to increase the public’s interest and understanding of mathematics.
This year marked Rhodes’ first time attending the event. What stood out most to him wasn’t just the competition itself but the chance to learn something new, something he thrives on, Rhodes said.
Though his primary passion is computer science, Rhodes said he stepped outside of his usual comfort zone during the event and dove into topics he typically doesn’t study, such as anatomy.
In the future, he hopes to enter the field of computer engineering, a path that mixes his love of coding and his desire to solve complex, real-world issues.
“Computer science is kind of like a puzzle,” Rhodes said. “You have all of these bits and pieces and a problem. You then put those bits and pieces together to solve the problem.”
Kicking off the 29th annual Math & Robotics Awareness Day, Dmitri Sobolev, interim dean of the College of Natural & Applied Science, stood in front of a packed Walker Auditorium to address a sea of eager high schoolers ready to take on the day.
While robots and artificial intelligence aren’t going to “take all the jobs,” he explained, people who know how to use these tools will have a huge advantage. Just like calculators didn’t replace people but showed who really understood math, new technologies make it easier to get answers, but people still have to decide if those answers make sense, Sobolev said.
“The future isn’t something that just happens to you, it’s something that you build,” Sobolev said. “And the more you understand math and technology, the more control you have over your own path.”
That’s where math comes in. It’s not just about numbers, but about patterns, logical thinking and problem solving, he said. To future-proof oneself, one should focus on honing critical skills such as thinking clearly, understanding systems and learning new concepts quickly instead of aiming for one specific job, he said. For students who struggle at math, the real secret is persistence: asking questions, trying, failing and trying again, Sobolev said.
“We hope to spark the students’ interest in math and technology, and some of these students will consider continuing their education at A&M-Victoria,” Sobolev said. “Alcoa Foundation has been extremely generous with their support and for making all of this happen.”
The event saw 168 students from more than 10 schools in and around Victoria. The schools included: A.C. Jones High School, Austwell-Tivoli High School, Calhoun High School, Cuero High School, Edna High School, Faith Academy, Industrial High School, Palacios Junior High School, Riverside Academy, St. Joseph High School, Victoria East High School and Yorktown High School.
Lunch was provided to students while expo booths gave students the chance to connect with local agencies. Representatives who were present at the event included: Dow Chemical Company, Crossroads Steam Alliance, Caterpillar Inc., A&M-Victoria recruitment, Victoria West Robotics Team and Daniel White, A&M-Victoria interim associate provost, who demonstrated the Anatomage Table to students.
During the event, students took part in the computer science and math contests. Additionally, students were split into groups and had the opportunity to attend lectures by Jiansen Wang, assistant professor of aviation, who presented “Sky’s the Limit: Finding Your Future in Aviation;” adjunct lecturer John Harrison, who presented “From Pythagoras to Newton;” and assistant professor Aobo Jin, who presented “Computer Graphics and Games.”
First-place winners of the computer and mathematics science competitions each received an iPad along with a trophy. Second- and third-place winners received a ribbon.
The winners of the computer science competition were:
- First – Mason Rhodes, Victoria East High School
- Second – Ryan Xu, Calhoun High School
- Third – Kyle Zheng, Edna High School
Winners of the math contest were divided by grade. The winners of the math contest and their high schools were:
- Freshman – Andrew Lester, St. Joseph High School, first; Felex Rodriguez, A.C. Jones High School, second; Kallie Nguyen, Palacios Junior Senior High School, third
- Sophomore – Ryan Xu, Calhoun High School, first; Matthew Yang, Calhoun High School, second; Lucas Lee, Calhoun High School, third
- Juniors – Hailee Fowler, Victoria East High School, first; Mia Aguilar, A.C. Jones High School, second; Bryce Chandler, Yorktown High School, third
- Seniors – Cameron Smith, St. Joseph High School, first; Blake Darilek, Industrial High School, second; Morgan Mader, Industrial High School, third
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.