Joy Howard, (left), an undergraduate student in SIU’s microbiology program, and (right) Nathan Wellendorf, an undergraduate in the crop, soils, and environment management program, earned second place in the recent American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ Robotics Student Design Competition in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo provided by Billy Ram).
July 28, 2026
SIU takes second place in international agricultural robotics competition
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Agricultural Robotics Club accomplished an impressive feat in its first international competition earlier this month with a second-place finish in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ Robotics Student Design Competition.
Joy Howard, an undergraduate student in the microbiology program, and Nathan Wellendorf, an undergraduate in the crop, soils, and environment management program, designing, building, and perfecting the computer coding for their robot.
The duo received guidance from Billy Ram, an assistant professor in the School of Agricultural Sciences. The team designed a robot to detect simulated corn stalks that are planted too close to one another — which can be a real-life issue for farmers when plants compete for nutrients.
SIU competed against 14 teams, including from China and Canada in the event, July 12-15 in Indianapolis.
Howard and Wellendorf arrived to find a change in the event on the first day removed a task they were anticipating to earn high scores in.
“Our strategy going into the competition was to nail day one’s task, which originally was 60% of the score, so it was a blindside,” Wellendorf said. “The robot’s ability to perform day two’s task was not as consistent as the near perfection we were able to achieve for day one’s task.”
The change placed more pressure on day two, when the team had two attempts for the robot to perform its designated task. With the stakes heightened, both the robot and its operator had to execute near perfection.
“The biggest challenge I think was calibrating our robot,” said Howard. “We had to make sure we calibrated it just right or it would miss a turn which would have been catastrophic for our run.”
The robot successfully navigated up and down simulated cornfield rows. An attached camera detected the corn stalk count and sent a signal to a screen, which flashed green for a single corn stalk or yellow for two stalks. When the robot detected a yellow stalk, it triggered a spinning motor to “cut” the extra corn stalk, which was magnetically connected to its 3D-printed stand.
Wellendorf admitted a human error at the end of their task almost cost them the competition, but Ram, who also attended the conference, came to the rescue.
“I made a blunder and accidentally exited out of the screen that showed our detection results of the corn rows,” Wellendorf said. “We were saved that run because Dr. Ram was recording the whole time and had footage of the results.”
Wellendorf learned of the team’s finish while sick in bed. The team’s result provided a “mix of feeling proud, excited and happy, which made feeling miserable from being sick a little better,” he said.
Howard also didn’t anticipate earning second place because this was SIU’s first competition and the quality of the other teams’ robots.
“I was in disbelief to be honest,” Howard said. “I thought we did well but was expecting third or fourth place. I know we did really well, but so did many other teams. I was extremely excited and proud of Nathan and me.”
For the first time, Ram, who competed in the event when he was a student, was able to share that excitement as an instructor instead of a competitor. He’s proud of the team’s dedication to competing, including overcoming game-day challenges.
“It was awesome to see Joy and Nathan perform under stress and come out with flying colors,” Ram said. “This result is a testament to our commitment toward high-tech research in agriculture technology and student success.”
Ram spearheaded developing the Agricultural Robotics Club — which is awaiting its registered student organization (RSO) status — after coming to the university in the fall of 2025. He received approval from the administration to not only create the club but also participate in the international agricultural robotics competition.
“I also want to take the opportunity to thank Kristina Boone, dean of the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences, and Ira Altman, director of the School of Agricultural Sciences, for their continued investment in the student body,” Ram said. “This was only possible with their support."
Ram also acknowledged a group of high school students who worked in his lab through the STEM Research Academy and created the AI model used in the competition. The SIU STEM Education Research Center holds the academy during the summer, providing an opportunity for high school students to gain hands-on research experience.