2016 Regional SeaPerch Challenge
On Saturday afternoon, April 16, 2016 forty robotic submarine
teams signed up for the Tidewater Regional SeaPerch Challenge
held in Newport News, VA at Midtown Community Center.
SeaPerch challenges students to build an underwater remotely
operated vehicle or ROV (called a SeaPerch), using a kit of materials
provided by the program organizers. Participants can assemble
and tweak the design of the ROV to best perform simple tasks such
as navigating an obstacle course or catching a ball and
maneuvering the robot submerged underwater.
Obstacle Course
Students can add on to the basic SeaPerch kit, however, they
cannot utilize more than three motors or spend more than $20.00 for additional materials.
Participating students commenced working on the challenge at the end of October and built the robot’s
structure; some learned new skills such as soldering wires to the controllers with help from their
teachers and coaches. Although the SeaPerch program provides a kit with the basic materials, it’s up to
the students to decide on the best way to assemble the submarine.
The Tidewater Regional SeaPerch Challenge was open to middle and high school students, grades 6-12
in the Tidewater region. The event is structured to give students an overall experience in the
engineering process; to increase student interest in robotics, science, mathematics, engineering and
technology and to introduce students to naval engineering.
The student’s challenge was a two part event; vehicle
performance and a poster presentation. Vehicle performance is
a test of how well the teams did in designing and building their
remote operated vehicle. The poster presentation is a test of
how well the students communicate their engineering ideas
while promoting their ROV. This also demonstrates student
organization and their documentation skills as well as to
recognize and encourage better solutions and engineering
abilities.
Amy Pearlstein, ASNE TW secretary had the privilege to judge
this event; in the area of poster and presentation. Each team competed to share their learning and
science understanding through the poster display as well as in their presentation. It was amazing to see
the student’s excitement and thirst for knowledge; hands-on educational event that sparked an appetite
for learning. “We need to engage and inspire young students by exposing them to exciting, hands-on
and mentor-based educational programs that build science, engineering and technical skills”. The
student’s enthusiasm was very contagious and refreshing.
Tidewater SeaPerch formed 4 years ago due to the fact that the teams from Heritage High School were
traveling to northern Virginia and Maryland to try to qualify for the national challenge. At the time, Kim
Bates was teaching at Heritage and assisted Krista Stachura, a science teacher, with her newly formed
teams. They traveled to northern Virginia for them to compete. All it took to form a district was for
someone to volunteer, which Kim Bates organized.
The first year, they had 8 teams register, but only 7 showed up to compete. Since then, they have been
growing exponentially and last year had a 3-way tie for first place in the Open Class. “We had our
largest participation ever this year, with 40 teams”.
This team is “Free Style”, from Page Middle School in
Gloucester. The students are Olivia Cohn, Brogan Hoback, Cecilia
Crane, and Logan Hall. Their coach is Ruth Manifold (not
pictured). This is Page Middle School’s second year, and their
second trip to the national challenge.