Page 10: of Marine Technology Magazine (April 2013)

Event standards supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects with a marine engineering-based theme. The program promotes hands-on learning of engineering concepts, problem solving, teamwork, design skills and introduces students to potential and exciting careers in naval architecture, marine, ocean and naval engineering. Now in its sixth year SeaPerch is administered by the Associa- tion for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Foundation (AUVSIF). ?With guidance from AUVSIF and with ONR?s commitment to SeaPerch, which introduces K-12 students to STEM through underwater robotics, the program has grown exponentially, reaching over 70,000 students to date,? com- mented Susan Nelson, Executive Director of SeaPerch. Over 6000 trained teachers and mentors are also committed to sup-port student learning through this stimulating and fun hands-on activity by following an established academic curriculum to discover the excitement of STEM as a potential future ca- reer path. The program reaches a diverse population, so par- ticipants in the Challenge will be students across the country, from inner city Baltimore to rural Mississippi to Native Amer- ican reservations in Minnesota to the islands of Hawaii, who have been introduced to STEM through SeaPerch. Building on the success of last year, on Friday evening, May 17, the opening event will be the Welcome Party for the teams from that evening in the Natatorium with light refreshments available. This will be a great opportunity for all to meet and mingle. Team leaders should also plan for their teams to bring their SeaPerch ROV as we will be open for check-in and com- pliance checks in order to reduce congestion the next morning. Competition day, Saturday, May 18, will begin at the Natato- rium with the required check-in?s followed by an opening cer- emony, photographers and videographers recording the events, local media in attendance, and again this year, live streaming of the day?s activities for the bene t of classmates, friends and parents back home across the country. A juried poster com- petition is planned for both middle and high school teams to introduce their graphic displays and deliver oral presentations about their design philosophy, construction challenges and answer questions posed by the judges. The pool?s technical competition events will consist both of an Obstacle Course and an entirely new Deep Water Transfer challenge. Speci ca-tions for these underwater events are posted on the SeaPerch website, www.seaperch.org, so teams may build their own for practice prior to the national competition. Nearly 100 judges and volunteers are expected to cover the poster and the pool competitions and help in various capacities during the day?s The National SeaPerch Challenge challenges student teams to not only build and op-erate subsea vehicles, but to prepare presentations and explain methodology. April 201310 MTRMTR #3 (1-17).indd 10MTR #3 (1-17).indd 104/3/2013 10:01:10 AM4/3/2013 10:01:10 AM