Page 8: of Marine Technology Magazine (April 2013)

Event In only a few weeks, SeaPerch, a national educational out- reach program using underwater robotics, sponsored by the OfÞ ce of Naval Research (ONR), will hold its 2013 National SeaPerch Challenge. Hosted by the Indiana State Regions this annual competition will take place on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the UniversityÕs Na- tatorium housing the Olympic pool. There the top 100 win- ning teams from regional competitions held across the nation will gather to assess how their SeaPerch underwater robots will fare in competition among their peers through a series of underwater challenges and a juried poster presentation to determine the 2013 middle school and high school National Champions. This is the third year for the National SeaPerch Challenge, and the Þ rst year for Nationals to be held in India- napolis. SeaPerch is an innovative K-12 underwater robotics program that trains teachers and group leaders to inspire their student teams to build their own SeaPerch Remotely Operated Vehi- cles (ROVÕs) following a curriculum consistent with national Student Teams Prep for Indianapolis and the National SeaPerch Challenge Underwater Robotic Championships ?With guidance from AUVSIF and with ONR?s commitment to SeaPerch, which intro- duces K-12 students to STEM through underwater robotics, the program has grown exponentially, reaching over 70,000 students to date,? said Susan Nelson, Executive Director of SeaPerch. 8 MTRApril 2013MTR #3 (1-17).indd 8MTR #3 (1-17).indd 84/3/2013 9:59:49 AM4/3/2013 9:59:49 AM