186. RoboRowdy: The Dorm-Room Robot That Won UT San Antonio a Global Engineering Title
This week on bigcitysmalltown, we look at how UT San Antonio's Klesse College of Engineering is driving new ambition among San Antonio students—and earning global attention in the process. As UT San Antonio continues its evolution into a Tier 1 research institution, the experience of freshman-led Team 210 Robotics provides a window into both the campus culture and the resources shaping today’s engineering talent. Host Bob Rivard is joined by Israel Elizondo and Dyshana Torres, two under...
This week on bigcitysmalltown, we look at how UT San Antonio's Klesse College of Engineering is driving new ambition among San Antonio students—and earning global attention in the process.
As UT San Antonio continues its evolution into a Tier 1 research institution, the experience of freshman-led Team 210 Robotics provides a window into both the campus culture and the resources shaping today’s engineering talent.
Host Bob Rivard is joined by Israel Elizondo and Dyshana Torres, two undergraduates whose team won the 2026 Siemens Immersive Design Competition, an international challenge with 1,900 entries from 350 universities worldwide. Their winning project—RoboRowdy—automates 3D print farms, showcasing both technical skill and initiative.
They discuss:
• How a student-driven idea grew inside a UT San Antonio dorm and became a winning global engineering project
• The processes, faculty support, and university investment behind Team 210’s success
• What it means for San Antonio—and for UT San Antonio—to compete on a world stage alongside Princeton, Georgia Tech, and international universities
• What’s changing for local students as programs, internships, and research expand at UTSA
• Personal stories from Israel and Dyshana about college access, scholarships, and navigating first-generation experiences
• The role of immersive engineering, virtual reality, and AI in shaping education and careers for San Antonio’s next generation
Tune in for a candid conversation about opportunity, preparation, and change at one of the city’s fastest-evolving institutions.
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