BEMIDJI—When he’s at the top of his game, Bemidji State University sophomore Justin Warburton can solve a Rubik’s cube in just 40 seconds. And, while the computer science major’s cube-solving robot lags slightly behind its creator, Warburton’s project still drew oohs and ahhs from fellow students.

The robot spends about 25 seconds scanning the cube and takes 90 seconds to complete the puzzle. It was created with two BSU-owned kits worth hundreds of dollars.

“About a year ago I was big into solving Rubik’s Cubes,” Warburton said. “I thought, why not build a Rubik’s Cube robot? It’s unique, and I didn’t want to do something boring.”

Warburton was one of a score of students presenting their work during BSU’s annual Student Achievement Conference. Now in its 18th year, the conference has grown significantly. First-time conference director Mahmoud Al-Odeh said that this year the event was opened to art and music students, as well as to students doing more traditional research projects. Participation increased by 25 percent, Al-Odeh said.

While some students, like Warburton, presented their projects in classrooms before audiences, Al-Odeh made sure there were a variety venues available to participating students.

“We have involved art and music students, where when you talk to them about the conference they say ‘well I’m not a researcher, I’m a creative artist,'” Al-Odeh said. “Well we created a session, special rooms for them.”

A breakfast honoring faculty sponsors and an elevator speech contest were among other changes to the annual event. The conference’s name was changed as well.

Al-Odeh said the conference is a good opportunity for students to learn real-world skills, as many employers will expect them to present their work.

“It’s a great event where we show the achievement of our students,” he said. “We need them to be proud of it, we need them to go and tell everybody about Bemidji State University…and take it to their companies in the workplace once they graduate.”