They are fascinated by science, engineering and technology and are wild about the thrill of competition.  For the 20 members of the WSU Extension Sea-Tech 4-H Club their problem solving skills and teamwork paid off as they earned top honors at the MATE (Marine Advanced Technology Education) regional event May 7 at the King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way.  This year’s mission simulated the actual Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) activities performed to cap the oil well blowout off the Louisiana coast in April 2010.

“Teams needed to capture and remove a collapsed pipe, insert a nozzle into a blowout preventer, and close a valve on the well head,” said Lee McNeil, Sea-Tech Club Leader.  “Our more experienced Explorer Class team will have the added challenge of capping the well under pressure and flow at the international competition.”  Teams also took water samples, measured ambient pressure and collected specimens from the floor of the pool.

“This year I learned more about design and how to build an effective ROV that not only can complete all the tasks but is also robust, agile and stable.”

The pool mission is half of the overall score of the competition.  A formal technical report, a project poster, and an engineering presentation before an industry panel of experts weighed equally.  This real world experience translates to a variety of potential career paths.

“Students become a subject matter expert for their team and are solely responsible for their portion of the project,” said McNeil.  “Creative problem solving, planning, budgeting, oral and written skills and decision-making under pressure have broad applications in any technical field.”

Team members head to Houston, Texas for the 2011 MATE International ROV Competition June 16 – 18.

Sea-Tech Success at the
2011 Pacific Northwest
MATE Competition

Team Endeavor
1st place – Ranger Class

Team Neptune
2nd place - Ranger Class

Team Hydrozilla
6th place overall

Team Omega - Successfully qualified to compete in the international event

Sea-Tech 4-H Club Leader Lee McNeil Receives Prestigious Mentor Award

An award to honor the skills, dedication and leadership of Sea-Tech 4-H Club Leader Lee McNeil was presented at the Pacific Northwest Regional MATE competition.  The Marine Technology Society created the Lee McNeil Mentor award to recognize exceptional contributions to furthering science education.  The award will be given to an outstanding team mentor each year at the regional event.