Singularity Technology, the Wilton Library Association’s robotics team, won two awards at the Connecticut FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship in Storrs, CT on Saturday, Feb. 22. The team earned the local Navy STEM Award and the prestigious first place Inspire Award, securing its advancement to the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship in Houston, TX this April for only the second time in the team’s 11-year history.
Singularity Technology’s dedication to outreach and excellence in all judged categories led the team to win the first place Inspire Award, the highest honor in the competition. This award is presented to the team that exemplifies the values of FIRST Robotics both on and off the field, indicating that it excelled in all other award categories.
“We are elated to have the chance to compete at Worlds in Houston, Texas this year! The Inspire Award is a reflection of not just the engineering and coding talents of our team members, but of their teamwork and contributions to the Wilton community. Singularity Technology frequently meets with students in younger grades to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for STEM. We are grateful for the opportunity to compete on a large scale and continue sharing that love and knowledge of STEM even further,” said Valmai Hanson, coach and coordinator of Singularity Technology and head of Wilton Library Teen Services.
The Navy STEM Award recognizes a team that “has gone above and beyond to educate the youth on STEM and spread it throughout their community; it specifically looks for teams with K-12 initiatives aimed at increasing students’ interest in STEM areas.” Singularity Technology received this honor after completing 529 hours of school outreach this season. However, this achievement was just part of the team’s broader impact — accumulating 1,328.5 total outreach hours (equivalent to 55 full days) across five pillars of outreach, reaching 5,500 people through 20 initiatives in 10 countries.
Singularity Technology is asking the community for help in covering the costs of the trip and is hoping to raise a total of $15,000, which will be added to the Library’s existing Robotics budget. Please consider donating via the Robotic Team’s fundraising webpage. Donations of any amount are welcome and will go directly to support the team.
“I watched this team put their blood, sweat, and tears into preparing for this competition, and it’s rewarding to see it all pay off,” alumni team mentor and former captain Aarushi Agrawal said about the team’s achievements. “It’s incredible to see SingulTech grow, and I’m honored to mentor them. They work with purpose and determination, and I can’t wait to see what the team accomplishes next!”
As a library-sponsored team, Singularity Technology welcomes students from any school in the area. This season’s members include William Olmstead (captain), Siddharth Agrawal, Arav Gupta, Leonardo Kulon, Henry Littin, Anirudh Nagelli, Vidit Prabhu, James Ryan, Saara Sardana, Anaya Uttamchandani, Vivaan Uttamchandani and Angela Varghese. Mentors include Aarushi Agrawal and Danika Martin-Lunz.
Singularity Technology competes in FTC and FLL competitions. Formed in 2013 and based out of Wilton Library, SingulTech is a diverse team open to students in grades 6-12 from towns near Wilton. To date, it is the only library-based team in the state of Connecticut. Each season, the team’s goal is to design, create and program a competition-ready robot to further improve the team members’ skills in the STEM fields. Each year team members share their learning and ambition through 20-plus outreach events to further motivate and educate the local community about STEM. To learn more about the team, visit the SingulTech website. Anyone interested in applying as a student or mentoring as an adult working in STEM for the 2025-2026 season is asked to complete an online form.