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MSU student team drives out competition in robotics design contest

Contact: Meg Henderson

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi ´ķĪķAPP students won first place in the Advanced Division of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ annual Robotics Student Design Competition, recently held during the organization’s annual international meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.

MSU’s Maroon Robotics Team won the overall challenge and its minor tasks, and earned accolades for best design. Team members include senior biosystems engineering major Lorien Harvey of Raymond; senior biomedical engineering major Kori Edwards of Florence; Bishal Adhikari, a graduate student from Nepal studying biosystems engineering; and Moeen Ul Islam, a graduate student from Bangladesh studying engineering technology in agricultural science.

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“Robotics competitions give students valuable experience developing real-world skills in electronics, programming, AI, problem-solving and system integration—skills that complement classroom learning,” said Dong Chen, the MSU agricultural and biological engineering assistant professor who established the team in 2025. “I began competing in robotics as a student 10 years ago, and seeing these students overcome challenges, work as a team and achieve success is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role.”ĖũĖũ

ASABE is a leading professional society in agricultural engineering, and its annual competition is one of the largest student robotics competitions focused on agricultural applications. This year’s competition took robots through a simulated corn field, where they had 10 minutes to earn points by counting and correctly identifying plants along the course. Competing in the Advanced Division required additional, more complex tasks, including navigating the course without guiding lines, identifying plants with computer vision and harvesting and replanting the virtual plants without human intervention.

“Earning first place in the Advanced Division is an extraordinary accomplishment and reflects the exceptional talent, dedication and teamwork of our students,” said Alex Thomasson, professor and director of MSU’s Agricultural Autonomy Institute and former head of the agricultural and biological engineering department. “Their success also speaks to MSU’s commitment to advancing agricultural autonomy through the Agricultural Autonomy Institute and the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, which provide the environment for students to innovate and excel. I see this achievement as the foundation for a tradition of excellence that inspires future generations of MSU students.”

MSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Bagley College of Engineering are home to the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, which is available online at .

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