A team of seven students from Tuskegee University’s College of Engineering has won first place at the ninth annual Advancing Minorities Interest in Engineering (AMIE) Design Challenge, held during the 2026 BEYA STEM Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The competition featured student teams from all ABET-accredited HBCU Schools of Engineering, with entries judged by industry and government experts.
The Tuskegee team developed “Farm Guard,” a modular agricultural robotic system that uses robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, and autonomous decision-making to help farmers reduce crop loss, detect pests, and lower labor requirements. The design aims to support early detection and mitigation of threats to crops, thereby improving efficiency and yield. As winners, the team earned a $10,800 prize for the College of Engineering to aid outreach and retention activities.
Dr. Mark A. Brown, President and CEO of Tuskegee University, met with the winning students after their victory. He said: “This is a genuine reflection of our Renaissance Era – a Washington/Carver kind of solution to a challenge facing farmers today. At Tuskegee we do things that matter to everyday people, that solve real problems and offer practical solutions – and that’s what you’ve done here. Once again, we are solving the world’s most complex problems!”
This year’s AMIE Design Challenge asked teams to create innovative solutions using emerging technologies such as AI, cybersecurity, data science, virtual reality (VR), autonomous systems, advanced energy systems, and sustainability practices. The goal was to address complex societal or environmental challenges or create new opportunities by disrupting existing markets.
Kristen Hill, a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering and one of the team members, explained that they have submitted a provisional patent application for Farm Guard through AMIE for further processing. She noted: “What makes this robot so unique is that it is modular, it can adapt specifically to what farmers need. Before there were no options for farmers but now there is one – from expensive to less costly, from complex to simple, the robotic brain can adapt.”
The student team included Kristin Hill (Jackson, Mississippi), Diara Lawrence (Vestavia Hills, Alabama), Everett Mason (Lorman, Mississippi), Kendall Powe (Mableton, Georgia), Madison Harper (Itta Bena, Mississippi), Kieon Miller (South San Francisco, California), and Hilton Gray (Houston, Texas). Faculty advisors Dr. Moath Alsafasfeh and Dr. Mandoye Ndoye joined Dean Dr. Heshmat Aglan and Toya Dean at the celebration.
Dr. Aglan stated: “Our students worked diligently as a team, as critical-thinkers and problem solvers with a passion for making highly technical functionality a truly disruptive option for farmers and agriculturalists. It’s the Tuskegee Way.”
