CRANE, Ind. – On Saturday, April 7, 2018, area students competed in a Regional SeaPerch Competition held at North Daviess High School. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) team at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) organized the competition, and many NSWC Crane employees served as coaches and volunteers for the event.
Saturday’s competition at North Daviess was the second of Indiana’s three SeaPerch regionals. In total, nearly 200 students from Indiana formed 80 teams for this year’s regional competitions. The top overall teams from the three state regionals will qualify for the International SeaPerch Challenge, which will take place June 1-3 at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
"Seaperch is a great way for kids to get their feet wet with robotics. It affords them valuable skills they can take with them throughout their lives,” said Tina Closser, NSWC Crane’s STEM coordinator.
SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program that equips students and teachers with the resources they need to build an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in an in-school or out-of-school setting. Students build the ROV from a kit comprised of low-cost, easily accessible parts, following a curriculum that teaches basic engineering and science concepts with a marine engineering theme.
Throughout the project, students learn engineering concepts, problem solving, teamwork, and technical applications.
During Saturday’s regional, teams from three classes (Middle School, High School and Open Class) put their underwater ROVs to the test. The teams were evaluated based on their ROVs’ performance in a submerged obstacle course consisting of five large rings (18” minimum diameter). Students were required to navigate their ROVs through the obstacle course, surface, then re-submerge and return through the course one more time.
Todd Knepp is a SeaPerch coach and has assisted with the North Daviess Robotics and Innovation Club (NDRIC) for nearly six years. Knepp appreciates the opportunity to watch students learn and develop through programs such as SeaPerch.
“It is very satisfying to see the students grow in technical competence and maturity,” Knepp said. “We, as coaches, like to emphasize to the students that there are many future jobs available if they have the right skills. The first part of getting the right skills is having a curiosity about how things work. NDRIC provides a space where students from all walks of life can explore, test, and learn."
Results from Saturday’s North Daviess SeaPerch Regional are listed below.
Open Division
Obstacle
1. Bloomfield JH “The –ley Maries”
2. North Knox “Roboticists”
Challenge
1. Bloomfield JH “The –ley Maries”
2. North Knox “Roboticists”
High School Division
Obstacle
1. Owen Valley “The Guys”
2. Owen Valley “Half & Half”
3. Owen Valley “Swiggity Swooty”
Challenge
1. Indy Westside Robotics “Sea Wolf”
2. Owen Valley “The Guys”
3. Indy Westside Robotics “Sherlock Drones”
Middle School Division
Obstacle
1. Bloomfield JH “Water Dragons”
2. Bloomfield JH “Dynamic, Quick & Juicy”
3. North Daviess “Flying Electric Cougar Sharks”
Challenge
1. Bloomfield JH “Water Dragons”
2. Bloomfield JH “Dynamic, Quick & Juicy”
3. North Daviess “Flying Electric Cougar Sharks”
Sprint
1. North Daviess “Amazing SeaPerch Students”
2. Bloomfield JH “Dynamic, Quick & Juicy”
3. North Daviess “Terror of the Deep”
NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with focus areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare. NSWC Crane is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today’s warfighter