MONTGOMERY, Ala. – February 7, 2025 – Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) hosted its fourth annual Hyundai Initiative for Robotics Excellence (HIRE) School Robotics Tournament on February 6 and 7, 2025. The VEX IQ Robotics competition was held at the HMMA Training Center and was comprised of teams from Montgomery public, Autauga County, and Selma city schools.

In 2019, HMMA teamed up with Auburn University’s Southeastern Center of Robotics Education (SCORE) to start the HIRE program. The goal of HIRE is to establish robotics teams at local schools to seed the next generation of a technically proficient workforce. The HIRE program will establish a much-needed emphasis on STEM education and academic excellence within the public school system.

“At HMMA, we know that studies show that robotics is one of the most effective and engaging ways to get young people interested in STEM, science, technology, engineering and math, through the hands-on learning that they have with them through the competitions like we have here today,” said Scott Posey, Manager of Public Relations at HMMA.

120 Montgomery, 80 Autauga County, and 50 Selma City public school students competed in the competition with Autauga and Selma competing on Feb 6 and Montgomery competing on Feb 7. The competition pits local schools’ robotics teams and their student-created robots against one another in skills trials, engineering notebook judging, qualifying matches, and championship matches. Engineering team members from HMMA and Montgomery Preparatory Academy For Career Technologies (MPACT) served as judges.

“We have really grown in size and the amount of students that are participating in robotics, but also in opportunities,” said Jamie Wilson, Interim Superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools. “It’s great to see our students engaged. It’s great to see them smiling and meeting other students across schools, across states, across the nation. Again, it’s just invaluable experiences that I wish I had when I was a student.“

“Just to see the growth of those students over the years, to see the growth of the teachers feeling more confident and comfortable using robotics in their classroom is huge,” said Jennifer Spencer, Assistant Director of SCORE.

Damien Barnes is a manager of process engineering with HMMA’s engine team. “You know, 40 years ago, making cars was very different than making cars now.  So, these kids are going to be the ones that take us to the next level,” said Damien.

HIRE is the result of multiple grants made by HMMA over the past several years, with the goal of establishing robotics teams at local schools to seed the next generation of a technically proficient workforce. HMMA’s total investment in local robotics education is now over $500,000.

During the competition, students received a robotics demonstration of a Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics SPOT robot.

“About 4 years ago, Hyundai purchased Boston Dynamics,” said Scott Posey. “We purchased one of these robots as an engagement tool for the young people who participate in these competitions. So, just as they’re making their own robots, they can have a hands-on experience with an industrial robot, and they find it fascinating.”