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Corey Wunderlich

Age: 19.

Residence: Fleming.

Family: Parents, Mark and Mary Beth.

Education: 2008 Warren High School graduate, sophomore at University of Akron.

A love of knowing what makes things tick was what prompted Fleming native Corey Wunderlich to apply to the engineering program at the University of Akron.

In his first year at the college, Wunderlich participated in one of the largest robotics competitions in the world, held in June in San Francisco. The International RoboGames featured 80 competitions and attracted more than 500 contestants from 21 different countries.

The team from Akron took home four medals for their efforts, and Wunderlich took home some great memories and a lot of good experience.

Question: What was the experience like attending this event for the first time?

Answer: It was almost like "Star Wars..." you had to dodge robots left and right that were just walking around. It was really cool and a good learning experience because robotics is the field I want to get into.

Q: How many were on your team and what projects did your team enter?

A: There were 14 on the team led by adviser Tom Hartley and Greg Lewis. We won first place for our maze robot, which met the challenge to move through a maze quickly and autonomously. We won second for our ribbon climber and a 340-pound "Juggernaut" combat robot and third place with "Z-Tank," a 3-kilogram sumo-bot.

Q: How did you become interested in engineering?

A: I've always liked technology. When I was younger, my dad and I actually worked on a robot in our garage. I've just always liked electronics, and I knew that Akron has a good program.

Q: In your opinion, how is the future going to be impacted by robotics?

A: Oh, it's going to have a huge impact. Right now, the military uses robotics a lot and most cars don't get touched by humans. Robotics engineering is growing very quickly.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: I've always kind of dreamed of working for NASA. Akron has a good co-op program, so I'm pretty much guaranteed to get a job somewhere.