Aggies vs. Red Raiders: A battle of innovation
RANK Shields from Texas Tech won first place at this year’s Innovation Challenge.
Texas A&M Aggies versus Texas Tech Red Raiders is a match-up that has not happened since 2011 when the two football teams met for the final annual matchup before conference realignment - until now.
Students from the two universities went head-to-head in a matchup focused on innovation, not football.
Three teams from each institution traveled to Pantex on November 7 to compete in the championship round of the annual Pantex Innovation Challenge. The groups were the top finalists after preliminary competitions at their respective schools.
Texas A&M held their "Aggies Invent" challenge in mid-September at the main campus in College Station, Texas. The Red Raiders held their competition in Lubbock, Texas, in mid-October. Both competitions tasked the students with inventing solutions to real-world problems and issues encountered at Pantex. Representatives from Pantex attended both competitions to assist the students with their invention presentations and judge the final pitches.
"The innovation challenges are competitions based on innovation of mission-critical problems that students can participate and provide implementation pathways for winning solutions," said Brenda Dillard, Pantex Partnerships and Technology Transfer program manager.
The teams that competed from Texas A&M were:
- A.U.R.A (Autonomous Unmanned Robotic Arm)
- Barracutta
- AutoTool Inc.
The presentations and teams from Texas Tech were:
- AutoChem Analytics
- IntelliAI
- RANK Shields
"This brings an opportunity to innovate with people I have never met before all while putting my name out to Pantex," said Matthew Valdez, a freshman engineering major from Texas A&M and member of A.U.R.A.
All six teams performed well, and the judges had a difficult decision to make in choosing the top three.
"This is the first time we have done this event at Pantex. It’s beneficial to get these students here and a little healthy competition between two schools in the state of Texas is great," Tyfani Lanier, Pantex engineering division director and chief engineer said. "I look forward to continuing the expansion of the Innovation Challenge and hearing more from talented students who make up the future of Pantex."
RANK Shields from Texas Tech took home the bragging rights of being named the Pantex Innovation Challenge Champion and $10,000 to support continued learning and inventing.
Earning second place and $5,000 was IntelliAI from Texas Tech. AutoTool Inc. rounded out the competition, taking third place and bringing $3,000 back to College Station.
"This challenge introduces the skill of team work and collaboration with people from different majors and backgrounds," Ethan Rojas-Tovar, a senior mechanical engineering major and member of the winning RANK Shields team from Texas Tech explained. "I enjoy coming up with an innovative solution on the spot and this is an amazing networking opportunity."
The Pantex Innovation Challenge is one example of how Pantex invests in partnerships with higher education institutions and the future workforce.
"It is critical that Pantex invest in academic partnerships. Students bring fresh perspectives, innovative approaches, and access to academic research, while Pantex offers real-world problem exposure, mentorship from experienced professionals, and career pathway development," Dillard said. "We treat every student interaction as developing a potential future employee or long-term collaborator."
When will the two universities meet up again for a challenge? Time will tell, as both football teams are doing well this season. For now, Texas Tech holds the bragging rights for winning the Pantex Innovation Challenge.
Students from Texas Tech's IntelliAI team with their second place award.
Texas A&M students from the AutoTech Inc team with their third-place prize.