Building the Future: How an OBU Adjunct Professor and His Wife Are Inspiring the Next Generation of Engineers
March 12, 2025
In a workshop filled with the hum of power tools and the click of laptop keys, a group of eighth graders from Grove Elementary in Shawnee gather around their latest creation, a robot they are meticulously designing to take on the challenges of an upcoming competition.
Meeting on Friday evenings and Saturdays in the OBU engineering building, the students troubleshoot its programming and refine its mechanics under the guidance of Roger and Lori Farris, a husband-and-wife team with a passion for engineering and education.
What started as a simple desire to keep students engaged in robotics after an unexpected competition loss has evolved into something far greater, a partnership between Grove Elementary and OBU’s engineering program.
With hands-on mentorship and OBU’s sponsorship, these students are gaining invaluable experience in engineering, problem-solving and teamwork, setting them on a path toward future STEM careers.
“The OBU engineering program is pleased to sponsor the Grove Elementary robotics team,” said Dr. Chuck Baukal, director of the engineering program. “This is a team of very smart students who already know they are interested in engineering, so OBU is helping support that interest. Based on what the team has already accomplished in a very short time, we believe they will do very well in future competitions.”
For Roger Farris, a Shawnee native with nearly 30 years of experience in career and technical education, robotics is more than just a competition, it’s a training ground for real-world engineering.
“We’ve done this since 2008,” Farris said. “We started with Lego Robotics at Grove and ran the high school team at Gordon Cooper Technology Center. When I retired from Gordon Cooper, I passed the high school team on, but my wife and I stayed committed to helping younger students develop their skills.”
The team of seventh graders had won the state championship and competed at the world level, finishing seventh overall out of 45,000 teams. Farris said that because of “factors beyond their control,” they didn’t repeat. But that was no reason to stop.
“My wife, being the driven teacher that she is, said, ‘I just can’t leave these kids ending their Lego robot experience like this,’” Farris recalled. “That was in December. By Monday morning, we had a $7,000 grant and we were starting a new team.”
However, the team quickly ran into a logistical hurdle as Grove Elementary didn’t have the space or the equipment they needed. That’s when Farris reached out to OBU, where he serves as an adjunct professor in the engineering program. Farris also attended the university and is on the OBU engineering advisory board.
OBU welcomed the idea, offering space and support for the team.
They started small, with just six students, but have big plans for growth. Each year, they hope to add four to six more students, building a competitive team of 20 to 24 members by the time their current eighth graders are seniors.
“We will get to work with these kids for five years,” Farris said. “These are very good students. By their senior year, they’re going to be 30- or 32-plus ACT students, already trained in engineering concepts and problem-solving. Those are the kind of students we need in OBU’s program.”
The team is preparing to compete at the Green Country competition in Tulsa in mid-March, followed by the Oklahoma Regional at FireLake Casino. Only a few teams from each regional advance to the world championships, but Farris believes that with time and experience, his students can make it.
“This program teaches kids to think like engineers,” Farris said. “It’s not just about science and physics, it’s about real-world skills. They learn to measure, cut, drill and build. A lot of people think engineers are just people who drive trains, but engineering is about problem-solving, critical thinking and hands-on work. We’re giving kids those experiences now, so they don’t just decide they want to be engineers, they know what it takes.”
For OBU, the partnership with Grove Elementary is part of a larger mission to foster engineering talent in the community. The university’s engineering program, launched in 2023, is already exceeding expectations. Initially set to enroll 12 students, it attracted 37 in its first year and has since grown to 50, with 32 more already committed for the upcoming year.
A recent $300,000 allocation from Pottawatomie County Commissioners is helping fund engineering equipment and facility upgrades at OBU, further strengthening its commitment to providing hands-on engineering education. The program emphasizes both technical excellence and character development, preparing students for careers that blend faith and service with engineering expertise.
For Roger and Lori Farris and their students, this collaboration isn’t just about competitions, it’s about shaping the future.
“We want these kids to succeed in competition and in life,” Farris said. “This isn’t for the short term. We want this road to lead them to OBU’s engineering program.”