Page 44: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2013)

44 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? APRIL 2013 OFFSHOREIn a few weeks, SeaPerch, a national educational outreach program us-ing underwater robotics, sponsored by the OfÞ ce of Naval Research (ONR), will hold its 2013 National SeaPerch Challenge. Hosted by the In-diana State Regions this annual compe-tition will take place on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the University?s Natatorium housing the Olympic pool. There the top 100 winning teams from regional competitions held across the nation will gather to assess how their SeaPerch un-derwater robots will fare in competition among their peers through a series of underwater challenges and a juried post-er 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 In- dianapolis. SeaPerch is an innovative K-12 un-derwater robotics program that trains teachers and group leaders to inspire their student teams to build their own SeaPerch Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV?s) following a curriculum consis- tent with national 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 Asso- ciation 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 pro-gram has grown exponentially, reaching over 70,000 students to date,? said Susan Nelson, Executive Director of SeaPerch. More than 6,000 trained teachers and mentors are also committed to support student learning through this stimulat-ing and fun hands-on activity by follow-ing an established academic curriculum to discover the excitement of STEM as a potential future career path. The pro- gram reaches a diverse population, so participants in the Challenge will be stu-dents across the country, from inner city Baltimore to rural Mississippi to Native American 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 Natato-rium 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 compliance checks in order to reduce congestion the next morning. Competition day, Saturday, May 18, will begin at the Natatorium with the re-quired check-in?s followed by an open- ing ceremony, photographers and vid- eographers recording the events, local media in attendance, and again this year, live streaming of the day?s activities for the beneÞ t of classmates, friends and parents back home across the country. A juried poster competition is planned for both middle and high school teams to introduce their graphic displays and deliver oral presentations about their de-sign philosophy, construction challeng- es 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 Þ cations 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 competi-tion. Nearly 100 judges and volunteers are expected to cover the poster and the pool competitions and help in various capacities during the day?s activities. Team Entry Rules as well as Competi- tion Event Rules, speciÞ cations and ru- brics are posted separately on the SeaP-erch website. On Saturday evening a gala Awards Banquet will be held at the J W Marriott, the ofÞ cial team hotel, for approximately 800 attendees where the presentation of the awards will take place. Trophies will be awarded for the Þ rst three places in each event for middle, high and open class as well as the awarding of the Tech- nical Director?s choice for design inno- vation. Featured speakers are invited to observe the competition during the day and to address the students that evening at the banquet about the importance of STEM to their future careers. Corpo-Underwater Robotic Championship Indianapolis to Host 2013 National SeaPerch Challenge MR #4 (42-49).indd 44MR #4 (42-49).indd 444/2/2013 4:13:24 PM4/2/2013 4:13:24 PM