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2025-2026 Pittsburgh π-rates FLL team
2025-2026 Bot's N that FLL team
2025-2026 Steamboats GOLD VEX IQ team
2025-2026 MySTEM Academy Robotics Teams
The MySTEM Academy 2025–2026 VEX IQ Steamboat team competed in two local events: at Woodland Hills on 12/12/2025 and at North Clarion on 11/17/2025, earning a prestigious spot
to compete at the Pennsylvania State Championship on 3/10/2026. After finishing 2nd in the Skills Challenge, the team competed in several alliances, finishing at the top of the scoring board. This
performance secured them a spot at the VEX World Festival in St. Louis from April 28–30, 2026, while also demonstrating excellence in their Engineering Journal and earning the
prestigious Design Award. The team used an AI sensor to the front of their robot to assist with precise beam stacking during driver control, using its pin recognition
and proportional control to improve accuracy and responsiveness.
The middle school robotics team Steel City Sparks won 1st Place Innovation Project Award at the Western PA competition on December 13, 2025, and went on to compete at the Pennsylvania State Championship in February 2026, earning a spot to participate in the 5th annual American Robotics Invitational on June 6–7, 2026. The Steel City Sparks developed a portable, motorized sifter to help archaeologists efficiently separate dirt from artifacts while reducing physical strain. Through expert interviews, field observations, and multiple design iterations, the team created a lightweight, durable, and adjustable device with removable screens, foldable legs, and a tool/artefact storage pouch. Their innovation transforms the traditionally labor-intensive sifting process into a faster, more precise, and user-friendly solution for real-world archaeological fieldwork.
MySTEM Academy’s Pittsburgh π-Rates team won 1st Place Champions at the Western PA competition on December 13, 2025, after achieving the highest score in the Robot Game. The team also earned 3rd Place Champions at the Pennsylvania State Championship on February 14, 2026, and will advance to compete at the Western Edge Invitational in Long Beach, CA, from May 28–30, 2026. The team identified a real-world problem: archeological artifacts and expedition crews are vulnerable to heat, shock, and vibration. They designed the AWESOME Box, an innovative, low-cost transport system using layered padding, ultra-white paint, and sensors, iterated with expert feedback, and tested quantitatively to prove its effectiveness.
FLL Robotics Team Bots N’at earned the prestigious 1st Place Robot Design Award at the Western PA competition on December 13, 2025, after finishing in the top 5 of the Robot Game. The team went on to compete at the Pennsylvania State Championship on February 14, 2026, where they received the Innovation Project Award and qualified to represent Pennsylvania at the Georgia Invitational on June 6–7, 2026. Team Bots N’at created a wearable AI camera system that helps archaeologists spot artifacts on the ground while keeping their heads up, significantly reducing the risk of trips, bumps, and other hazards encountered in the field. The device integrates a Raspberry Pi, a custom-trained AI model using hundreds of artifact images, and haptic alerts on a wearable band, allowing archaeologists to safely and efficiently locate important artifacts while navigating complex outdoor environments.
2024-2025 MySTEM Academy FIRST Lego League Teams
Team Pittsburgh π-Rates earned 1st Place for the Innovation Project Award at the Western PA competition on December 7, 2024, placed 5th for the Champions Award
at the Pennsylvania State Championship on February 15, 2025, and was a Champions Award Finalist at the Florida Sunshine Invitational on June 28, 2025.
The middle school robotics team Band of Steel won 1st Place Champion’s Award at the Western PA competition on December 7, 2024,
placed 4th for the Champion’s Award at the Pennsylvania State Championship on February 15, 2025, and was a Breakthrough Award Finalist
at the Florida Sunshine Invitational on June 28, 2025.
Team Gold and Black Impackt earned 3rd Place for the Robot Design Award at the Western PA competition on December 7, 2024, and
placed 10th for the Champions Award at the Pennsylvania State Championship on February 15, 2025.
FLL Robotics Team 412 Power Crew earned the prestigious 2nd Place Champion’s Award at the Western PA competition on December 7,
2024, placed 2nd for the Champion’s Award at the Pennsylvania State Championship on February 15, 2025, and was a Rising All-Stars
Finalist at the World Festival in Houston on April 19, 2025.
412 Power Crew
Gold & Black
Pittsburgh π-Rates
Band of Steel
2023 - 2024 MySTEM Academy FIRST Lego League Teams
FLL Robotics Team Infinite Loop won the First Place Robot Design Award at the Florida Sunshine Invitational Daytona Beach
on 6/22/2024 after getting the Champion's Award at both the Western PA Championship on 12/02/24 and PA State on 03/09/24.
The middle school robotics team Nifty Ninjas was a finalist for the Robot Design Award at the Western Edge Open in Long Beach,
CA on 6/2/24 after competing against 80 International Teams from different countries.
Team Gold and Black Impackt got the Engineering Excellence Award in the American Robotics Open in New Jersey on 05/18/24 and
were also a finalist for the Alliance Game.
FLL Robotics Team 412 Power Crew got the prestigious Champions Award in Western PA on 12/02/24, and participated in the American Robotics Open in
New Jersey on 05/18/24.
Gold & Black ImPACKt
Infinite Loop
412 Power Crew
Nifty Ninjas
YINZ GIRLZ FLL TEAM WINS SECOND PLACE CHAMPIONS AWARD
AT THE INTERNATIONAL ARKANSAS RAZORBACK - APRIL 2023
The middle school robotics team YinzGirlz, hosted by MySTEM Academy, won the Champion's Award in the FIRST Lego League Razorback Open Invitational from May 18 to 21 at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. They competed against 80 International Teams and proudly represented Western PA, USA.
Using advanced proportional control coding and sensors to improve navigation accuracy and alignment techniques, they built a robot to solve all
the missions on the 2023 FLL Super Powered Challenge season. Yinz Girlz applied for a pattent on energy harvesting from dog walking for their
innovation project.They also spent 20-40 hours working to spread STEM knowledge to several communities in the Pittsburgh area. Congratulations, Viana Chopra,
Piya Dargan, Kaya Gandhi, Seoni Gandhi, Shamita Panat, Olivia Romanow, and Keerthana Visveish.
INFINITE LOOP WINS SECOND PLACE ROBOT DESIGN AWARD AT THE WPI FIRST LEGO LEAGUE US OPEN - MAY 2023 Worcester Massachusetts
FLL Robotics Team Infinite Loop, hosted by MySTEM Academy, participated in the Waffle FIRST Lego League US Open Event with 75 teams worldwide at WPI in Worcester, Massachusetts.They won one of the prestigious Robot Design Awards and proudly represented Southwest PA in this International Event. They solved all the 2023 FLL Super Powered Challenge season missions by building a compact robot and programming it with advanced codings, such as path correction, stall detection, and proportional control using color and gyro sensors.Their Infinite Precision Speed Robot can quickly and accurately position anywhere in the field using mechanical guiders and combinations of gears to balance speed and power. Congratulations, Jesse Guo, Aayush Iyer, Nathan Leckey, Aarush Patil, Kiran Thosani, Shalin Thosani, Victor Zhang, and Vivian Zhang.
| YEAR | Theme | MySTEM Academy Awards | ||||
| 2026 | VEX IQ Mix & Match | Stemboats GOLD: Design Award at the VEX IQ PA State, participating at the VEX IQ Championship in St. Louis 28-30 April 2026. | ||||
| 2026 | Unearthed | Pittsburgh π-rates FLL team: Champion's Award at the Western PA, 3rd for the Champion's Award at the PA State, participating in the Western Edge Invitation Long Beach | ||||
| 2026 | Unearthed | Bot's N that FLL team: 1st place Design Award at the Western PA, 3rd place Innovation Project at the PA State, participating in the Georgia Invitational in June 2026 | ||||
| 2026 | Unearthed | Steel City Sparks: 1st place Innovation Project Aeard at the Western PA, 2nd place Desing Award at the PA State, participating iin the American Open Robotics in June 2026 | ||||
| 2026 | Unearthed | YinzGineers: 2nd place Design Award at the Western PA | ||||
| 2025 | Submerged | Power Crew: 2nd Place Champion’s Award at the Western PA, 2nd for the Champion’s Award at the PA State Championship, Rising All-Stars Finalist at the World Festival in Houston | ||||
| 2025 | Submerged | Pittsburgh π-Rates: 1st Place for the Innovation Project Award at the Western PA, 5th for the Champions Award at the Pennsylvania State Championship, Champions Award Finalist at the Florida Sunshine Invitational | ||||
| 2025 | Submerged | Band of Steel: 1st Place Champion’s Award at the Western PA , 4th for the Champion’s Award at the Pennsylvania State Championship, Breakthrough Award Finalist at the Florida Sunshine Invitational | ||||
| 2025 | Submerged | Gold & Black: 3rd Place for the Robot Design Award, 10th for the Champions Award at the Pennsylvania State Championship | ||||
| 2024 | Masterpiece | Infinite Loop: First Place Champion's Award and First Place Robot Design Award at the Florida Sunshine Invitational Daytona Beach on 6/22/2024 | ||||
| 2024 | Masterpiece | Power Crew: Second Place Champion's Award | ||||
| 2024 | Masterpiece | Gold & Black: 2nd Core Values, 6th place Champion's Award, Engineering Excellence Award at the American Open in New Jersey on 05/18/2024 | ||||
| 2024 | Masterpiece | Nifty Ninjas: First Place Innovation Project, 7th place Champion's Award, Finalist in Robot Design Award at the Western Open Edge in Long Beach, CA on 06/02/2024 | ||||
| 2023 | Super Powered | YinzGirlz: Second Place Champion's Award at the International Arkansas Razorback | ||||
| 2023 | Super Powered | Infinite Loop: Second Place Robot Design Award at the WPI FLL US Open | ||||
| 2023 | Super Powered | Nifty Ninjas: 2nd in Robot Game and 2nd in Robot Design at the Southwest PA FLL | ||||
| 2023 | Super Powered | Power Crew: First Place Award in Robot Design at the Southwest PA FLL | ||||
| 2023 | Super Powered | Three Rivers Robotics: Third Place Award in Robot Design at the Southwest PA FLL | ||||
| 2022 | Cargo Connect | SportSTEAM: First Place Design Award at the International Arkansas Razorback | ||||
| 2022 | Cargo Connect | YinzGirlz: First Place Core Values Award at the World Festival in Houston | ||||
| 2021 | Cargo Connect | Yinz Girlz: Champions Award, 5th in Robot Game | ||||
| 2021 | Cargo Connect | SportSTEAM: Second Champions Award. 1st in Robot Game | ||||
| 2021 | Cargo Connect | Infinite Loop: 2nd in Robot Game and 3rd in Robot Design and Programming | ||||
| 2021 | Cargo Connect | Team BOT: 3rd in Robot Game and 2nd in Robot Design and Programming | ||||
| 2021 | Cargo Connect | 3 Rivers Robotics: 4th in Robot Game and 1st in Robot Design and Programming | ||||
| 2020 | RePLAY | NextGen: 1st Champions Award, 1st Robot Game, Global Innovation Project Award | ||||
| 2020 | RePLAY | SportSTEAM: 2nd Champions Award, 1st in Innovation Project Award | ||||
| 2020 | RePLAY | YinzGirls: 3rd Champions Award, 1st in Robot Design and Programming | ||||
| 2020 | RePLAY | Team BOT: 2nd in Robot Design and Programming | ||||
| 2020 | RePLAY | Infinite Loop: 3rd in Robot Design and Programming, | ||||
| 2019 | City Shaper (Open) | Raptorbots: 1st in Robot Game, 1st in Innovation Project, 3rd Champions Award | ||||
| 2019 | City Shaper (Open) | Team N.E.X.T: First Place Award in Robot Strategy | ||||
| 2019 | City Shaper (Open) | YinzGirls: First Place Award in Core Values Team Work | ||||
| 2019 | City Shaper | Team B.O.T: 3rd in Robot Game, and 2nd Champions Award in Scholastic | ||||
| 2019 | City Shaper | Triple B: First Place Award in Innovation Project | ||||
| 2018 | Into Orbit | Champion's Award Scholastic Division | ||||
| 2018 |
|
First Place Award Project Innovative Solution | ||||
| 2018 |
|
First Place Award Robot Performance Scholastic Division | ||||
| 2018 |
|
First Place Award Reseach | ||||
| 2018 |
|
Third Place Award Robot Performance | ||||
| 2018 | Into Orbit | Champion's Award and Invitation to International Razorback Arkansas | ||||
| 2018 | Hydrodynamics | First Place Overall Core Values Award at the International Razorback Arkansas | ||||
| 2017 | Hydrodynamics | Champion's Award and invitation to International Razorback Arkansas | ||||
| 2017 | Hydrodynamics | First Place Award in Strategy and Innovation | ||||
| 2016 | Animal Allies | Champion's Award and invitation to the World Festival | ||||
| 2016 | Animal Allies | First Place Award in Project Presentation | ||||
| 2016 | Animal Allies | First Place Award in Project Innovative Solution | ||||
| 2015 | Trash Trek | First Place Award in Programming | ||||
| 2015 | Trash Trek | First Place Award in Project Presentation | ||||
| 2015 | Trash Trek | Second Place Award in Team Inspiration | ||||
| 2014 | World Class | First Place Award in Innovative Project Research | ||||
| 2014 | World Class | First Place Award in Core Value | ||||
| 2014 | World Class | Second Place Award in Programming | ||||
| 2013 | Nature's Fury | First Place Award in Programming | ||||
| 2013 | Nature's Fury | Second Place Award in Engineering Design | ||||
| 2012 | Senior Solutions | First Place Award in Project Research | ||||
| 2012 | Senior Solutions | Second Place Award in Project Research | ||||
| 2012 | Senior Solutions | Third Place Award in Project Research | ||||
| 2011 | Food Factor | First Place Award in Programming | ||||
| 2011 | Food Factor | First Place Award in Project Research | ||||
| 2010 | Body Forward | Second Place Award in Project Research | ||||
| 2009 | Smart Move | First Place Award in Project Research | ||||
| 2008 | Climate Connections | Directors Award | ||||
| 2008 | Climate Connections | Second Place Award in Programming |
YINZ Girlz, TX, April 2022 - The middle school robotics team YINZ Girlz, hosted by MySTEM Academy, won the First Place Core Values Award at the 2022 World Festival in Houston They competed against 78 International Teams and represented Western PA.
SPORTSTEAM, AR, May 2022 - The middle school robotics team SPORTSTEAM, hosted by MySTEM Academy, won the First Place Robot Design Award at the FIRST Lego League Razorback Open Invitational at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. They competed against 80 International Teams and represented Western PA. SPORTSTEAM used a color sensor to automatically detect each set of codes and operated a motor to accomplish multiple tasks using differential gears.
WEXFORD, PA, February 21 2021 - The middle school robotics team NextGen Robotics, hosted by MySTEM Academy, won the First Place Director’s Award at the 2021 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Western Pennsylvania Championship. In addition to the 1st place overall, NextGen Robotics also got the first place in the Robot Game. The team qualified to attended the First Lego League International Greece in June 2022, with 100 teams from all over the world. As the recipient of the Global Innovation Project Award, NextGen Robotics has also been nominated to submit their Innovation Project to the next level.
2018-2019 Beastbots FLL Robotics Team participated in the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas.
2017-2018 AI FLL Robotics Team participated in the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas.
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