Southern Miss Students Shine at IEEE SoutheastCon 2025
Mon, 04/21/2025 - 04:00pm
欧博娱乐城's (欧博娱乐城) IEEE student branch made a stellar showing at the IEEE SoutheastCon 2025 (southeast conference), held March 27-30 in Charlotte, N.C. Competing in the highly anticipated hardware competition, 欧博娱乐城鈥檚 teams impressed both peers and judges alike, proving their leadership in Mississippi鈥檚 growing robotics community.
This year, Southern Miss sent two teams to the competition: the main team, consisting of undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines, including computer science, elementary education, mathematics, and physics; and an open team composed of students from Hattiesburg High School. The high school students earned their spot in the competition after ranking highly in 欧博娱乐城鈥檚 February scrimmage and have been working since October to build their skills in robotics.
In the competition, Southern Miss鈥� main team earned an impressive 16th place out of 42 universities, scoring 28 points. This performance not only solidified their place among the top contenders but also made Southern Miss the top scorer among Mississippi universities competing in the event, which included the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University and Jackson State University.
The open team made up of Hattiesburg High School students captured first place in their bracket, scoring 27 points. Southern Miss IEEE Student Branch Advisor Anna Wan expressed that, 鈥渢he performance of these high school students was particularly notable, and many at the conference were impressed by their skills and dedication; if the main and open team scores were combined, the open team would have ranked 17th overall out of 49 teams."
鈥淭he strong performance of both teams highlights the powerful partnership between Southern Miss and Hattiesburg High School鈥檚 engineering department. These high school students have been working alongside 欧博娱乐城 students since October, receiving guidance and mentorship as they prepared for this prestigious competition. Their achievement in securing first place in their bracket and coming so close to cracking the top 20 overall is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the collaborative effort between the two institutions,鈥� said Wan.
"My hope is that these high school students continue to work with us and eventually join us as undergraduates at 欧博娱乐城. Their potential is undeniable, and it's been a pleasure to watch them grow in this field,鈥� added Wan.
Southern Miss main team members included Elizabeth Phillips, an elementary education
major from Baton Rouge, La.; Margaret Brune, a physics and mathematics double major
from Ocean Springs, Miss.; Muhammad Sabih Ul Hussnain, a computer science and economics
double major from Islamabad, Pakistan; Chris Salmi, a computer science major from
Abita Springs, La.; Khadichabonu Valieva, a computer science major with a minor in
economic data analysis from Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Samir Bhattarai, a computer science
major from Kavrepalanchok, Nepal; and Reham Afzal, a computer science major from Bahawalpur,
Pakistan.
Southern Miss Open Team members from Hattiesburg High School included Conner McClelland,
Amaria Bowie, Torrin Green, Damien Toney, Jamal Lewis, and Christopher Veal. Team
mentors included Stephen Jordan of Hattiesburg High School, Enoc Lopez of Presbyterian
Christian School, Christopher Frazier of Hattiesburg High School, Mollie Warren of
Hattiesburg High School, and Kiara Barclay of JMH Graphics.
Unlike competitions such as VEX and FIRST, where robots are remotely controlled, Wan said the IEEE SoutheastCon focused on autonomous robots that must navigate, perform tasks, and interact with their environment without human intervention. 鈥淭his shift toward autonomous robotics presents a unique challenge and opportunity for teams, requiring advanced programming and engineering to succeed,鈥� she said.
Wan further noted that Southern Miss plans to continue fostering its relationship with Hattiesburg High School through initiatives like the "Train the Trainer" event in April, designed to help educators and students across Mississippi build their knowledge and skills in robotics. She mentioned that plans are also in the works for Southern Miss to host robotics summer camps and the second annual Mississippi-based robotics competition in February 2026 in preparation for the regional competition in Huntsville, Ala., in March 2026.
鈥淲ith the continued success and growing collaboration between Southern Miss, Hattiesburg High School, and other regional universities, the future of Mississippi robotics is bright,鈥� Wan said. 鈥淲e remain dedicated to nurturing talent at all educational levels and inspiring the next generation of innovators. The journey from high school to university is just beginning for these students, and the hope is that their accomplishments will lead them to even greater success in the years to come.鈥�