Sea Perch News

This year the SeaPerch Program will celebrate a half decade of national underwater robotic championships. On the last Saturday in May, the fifth National SeaPerch Challenge will be held on the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMassD) campus where 150 teams of middle and high school students from across the country will compete on the national stage. The phenomenal growth of the event is evident with a simple look back to the inaugural National Challenge, staged in Philadelphia five years ago attracting 38 teams and 187 students.

The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS, and the Mississippi Regional SeaPerch Committee in mid-May hosted the Fourth National SeaPerch Challenge on the campus of Southern Miss. It was here that 108 teams of 451 middle and high school students – students from 19 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and for a first time ever, and international team from New Zealand – convened at the University’s Payne Center and Johnson Natatorium for a weekend of competition and fun.

Excitement continues to build for the Fourth Annual National SeaPerch Challenge, as 2014 will see the largest group of SeaPerch competitors ever to assemble and compete for the title of National Champion. Hosted by the Mississippi Regional SeaPerch Committee, this year’s national competition will be held at the University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss) in Hattiesburg, MS, on Saturday May 17, 2014. Here, more than 100 middle and high school teams from all over the country will come together for a weekend of learning, sharing, competing and fun.

The City of Indianapolis and the Indiana SeaPerch regions were the ideal combination to host the Third National SeaPerch Challenge at the Natatorium on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) on May 17 – 19, 2013. On Friday evening, May 17, 83 top robotic teams from middle and high schools, after school and out-of-school programs in 23 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico convened at the IUPUI Natatorium for a weekend of competition and fun-filled activities.

In a few weeks, SeaPerch, a national educational outreach program using underwater robotics, sponsored by the Office 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 University’s Natatorium housing the Olympic pool. There the top 100 winning teams from regional competitions…

In only a few weeks, SeaPerch, a national educational outreach program using underwater robotics, sponsored by the Office 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 University’s Natatorium housing the Olympic pool. There the top 100 winning teams from regional competitions…

The theme of the 4th International RoboBoat Competition, sponsored by The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Foundation and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), was “The Four Elements.” Teams of students designed and built autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) that faced challenges involving earth, air, fire and water. The competition was held at The Founders Inn and Spa, Virginia Beach, VA, June 8-12, 2011 and included 15 teams representing colleges and universities around the world.

Enlisting the aid of experts from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), a Maryland-based nonprofit rolled out a series of educational science competitions for area middle and high school students Sept. 17. ONR program managers Kurt Yankaskas and Dr. Mike Traweek spoke with youth beside a 12-foot submarine at the Patriots Technology Training Center's (PTTC) back-to-school kickoff at Kenmoor Middle School in Landover, Md. The bright yellow, 300-pound, human-powered vessel dubbed "Sub Taxi"-which was built, designed and engineered by students-drew a steady stream of spectators during the five-hour event. "Some of the attendees were very young, and the excitement on their faces was clear as they took crew positions inside the submarine," said Yankaskas, who volunteered at the event.

Dr. Alok Verma, Director of Lean Institute at Old Dominion University organized two workshops for middle school and high school teachers under a project funded by the Society for Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME). It was conducted on August 5, 2010 for Newport News school system teachers in Newport News, Va. A similar workshop was conducted for Southside school system teachers in Hampton, Va. on August 23, 2010. Thirty teachers from various school systems in Hampton Roads, Va. participated in this workshop.

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) celebrated the kick off of the Naval Engineering Education Center (NEEC), launching a three-day conference at the University of Michigan, July 26-28. NEEC is a new partnership between NAVSEA and a consortium of 15 top colleges and universities as well as 2 engineering professional societies focused on developing the Navy's future science, engineering and acquisition workforce. “Sailors depend upon you to give them a ship with a technological edge. The NEEC will provide the best minds and training to give the Sailors the technological edge they rely on," said Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the keynote speaker at the Kick-Off event.

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) announced that a program dedicated to the training of future naval systems engineers will soon be realized. A $3.2m contract awarded May 6 from the Naval Sea Systems Command, which includes five additional years of optional extensions that could add up to $49.9m, will establish a Naval Engineering Education Center (NEEC) Consortium in partnership with fifteen leading US colleges and universities, SNAME and the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE). For over a century SNAME has been the international society for practitioners of the maritime arts and sciences. The Society has long supported educational opportunities to advance the state-of-the-art in naval architecture…

On June 1, 2009, the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers announced new additions to its rank of Fellows. The membership grade of Fellow is accorded to individuals who have contributed to significant achievements in naval architecture, marine and ocean engineering, and related fields in the form of advances in design, research, production, operation, education, and associated management. G. Russell Bowler: As the Chief Engineer/Vice President of the largest and most successful sailing yacht design company in America, Russell has served as the lead naval architect in numerous groundbreaking designs. Mr. Bowler introduced modern composite construction to the Round the World Race of 1985/86 with the outstanding success of the maxi-yacht UBS Switzerland.

Dr. Alok Verma, Director of Lean Institute at Old Dominion University organized two underwater robotics competitions under a project called MarineTech funded by the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV). On the morning of July 11, 2009, around 60 people, including students and their parents, gathered at Maury High School for the Sea Perch underwater robot competition. During the spring semester, students built Sea Perch robots with the help of their teachers for this competition. Nine teams participated in the competition.

Crowley's commitment to provide educational opportunities to exemplary students continued this week, as the Webb Institute named Simmy Willemann of Pleasantville, New York and Seth Cooley of East Lyme, Conn., as the 2009-2010 Crowley scholars. Both students, who will each receive $5,000 in cash grants from Crowley, were selected based on their distinguished scholastic and community service activities. As the 2010 Class President, Willemann is involved in several school activities, including creating an online student merchandise store.

Engineers from Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock Division, a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) field activity, mentored middle and high school students at the Patriots Technology Training Center (PTTC) while they built small remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) July 3. The students attended a two-week PTTC summer camp on technology which involved constructing ROVs at Kenmoor Middle School in Landover, Md. Students also participated in an ROV competition in the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex (PGSL) swimming pool in Landover. The event was part of the Sea Perch program, coordinated and facilitated by the Navy's Center for Innovation in Ship Design (CISD).

The Office of Naval Research partnered with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, to introduce underwater robotics to children at Staten Island's Stapleton Pier during Fleet Week New York 2008, May 21-28. Before and after touring three ships moored at Stapleton Pier – USS Monterey (CG 61), USS Nitze (DDG 94) and USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) – children and adults alike flocked to the booth of the Sea Perch project for a chance to play with miniature remote-controlled submersibles. A collaborative effort between the Office of Naval Research and the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers…

The Sea Perch program in are in need of volunteers on April 26 to judge various competition events. The SEAPerch program is a new program in Prince William County Schools. It is a partnership between the Office of Naval Research, The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, MIT SeaGrant, Lockheed Martin, Micron Technology, SAIC, Argon ST and Prince William County Schools. The program is designed to give students enrolled in the Foundations of Technology a business applicable project that will introduce engineering concepts, robotic concepts, naval engineering, design processes, scientific processes and the incorporation of research and composition into engineering. up to volunteer.

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) leadership, field activities and employees won five of six of the Navy’s 2008 Nathaniel Stinson Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Awards. NAVSEA winners included: Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock Division in the Large Component category; Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Newport Division in the mid-size component category; NAVSEA Commander Vice Adm. Paul E. "NAVSEA's policy is to aggressively seek out diversity of background as we do our business. This is a business imperative," said Vice Adm. Paul Sullivan. "We need high-end knowledge workers in every facet of our business, from waterfront to laboratory to headquarters.

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineer’s Phil Kimball and Susan Giver represented SNAME at the recent OceanTech Expo, held September 5-7, 2007 in Providence, RI. Kimball and Giver are holding a finished underwater vehicle model, the focus of the innovative SEAPerch program designed to encourage young students to consider a career in engineering. SEAPerch is an initiative developed by MIT, teaming with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), made possible through a grant from the National Naval Responsibility Initiative/Office of Naval Research. SNAME has been tasked by ONR to take the SEAPerch Program to a national level. For additional information regarding the SEAPerch program, contact Susan Giver at [email protected]