GSSM Robotics Team Wins AI Award at Carolinas Premier Event

HARTSVILLE, S.C. (July 29, 2025) ─ The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics (GSSM) all-girls robotics team, the Lobotomists, earned the AI Award at the Carolinas Premier Event, held July 25-27 at Salem Academy in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The AI Award recognizes a team that effectively uses artificial intelligence to advance their team’s goals and in designing, building and programming their robot. Competing as Team 327, the Lobotomists include GSSM students Phoenix Zhao (Fort Mill), Miriam Morales (Myrtle Beach), Reagan Mitton (Florence), Aishwarya Prabhakaran (Fort Mill), Sami Freeman (Hanahan), and Priya Raj (Indian Land). The team earned an invitation to the Premier Event after winning the Connect Award at the South Carolina FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship. That award honors teams that actively engage with their communities and demonstrate a clear connection between their outreach efforts and the advancement of STEM opportunities for others.

“The team was not idle in the many weeks leading up to the Carolinas event, after finding out in June that they were invited,” said Dr. Elaine Parshall, GSSM engineering instructor and robotics advisor. “They continually worked on improvements to their robot’s performance during the event and never gave up, which is all I ask of our teams. Most of the team were rookies this year, but they showed remarkable initiative and creativity in how they integrated artificial intelligence throughout their process. They used AI to support everything from debugging code and converting blocks-based programs into Java, a language many were just beginning to learn, to building their team website from scratch. As one student shared, ‘AI helped me go from no experience to a functioning website.’ Another said, ‘It’s very helpful when it comes to trying out new things and you don’t know where to start.’ They even used AI to help tailor their presentations for different age groups, adjusting how they communicate about their robot and STEM to better reach their audience. It was an impressive demonstration of both technical growth and thoughtful application. I think they did a remarkable job for their first international event.”

“The dedication of our Govies never cease to inspire,” said Danny Dorsel, president of GSSM. “While summer is a time when most students take a break, the members of the Lobotomists chose to challenge themselves by preparing for and competing in a robotics competition. Their commitment, extending beyond the school year into the summer months, reflects the passion and perseverance we value at GSSM. We are incredibly proud of their hard work, and it’s rewarding for both them and our school community to see that dedication recognized.”

The Lobotomists were recently featured in Diversity Works magazine, highlighting their role as one of the few all-female robotics teams in the state and the impact they’re making by breaking gender barriers in STEM. More information about the team and GSSM’s broader robotics program is available at scgssm.org/robotics.