Sea-Tech 4-H Club Wins Regional Underwater Robot Competition – Advances to International Competition in Hawaii
By Betsy Fradd WSU 4-H Extension
Congratulations to Skagit County Sea-Tech 4-H club for taking top honors at the 2010 MATE Pacific Northwest Regional Challenge.
Sea-Tech’s Team Orca placed first in the Ranger class division and Team Sailfish finished third in the May 8 contest at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. In the Explorer class Team Eclipse successfully completed a qualification run and, along with Team Orca, will be heading to Hawaii to compete in the international competition in June.
“We spent five months planning, designing, and building these machines,” said Lee McNeil, Sea-Tech Club leader. “Our five club leaders practiced for weeks with each team how to execute the various ROV mission tasks, which included locating seismic rumblings, sampling multiple hydrothermal vents, plotting temperature gradients, collecting stalagmites and scooping up bacterial materials. It’s exciting to see to see all their hard work, skills and dedication.”
The annual event encourages students to study science, engineering, and technology and apply these skills in real-world underwater robotic missions. This year’s competition theme emphasized the role ROVs play in marine science and underwater exploration with undersea volcanoes.
A total of 37 teams from Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia participated in the contest. The MATE Pacific Northwest Regional ROV Challenge is one of 19 regional events held across the U.S. and Canada and in Hong Kong and Scotland.
Posted May 2010
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,