NJROTC units take Soggy Gold at SeaPerch Nationals

INDIANAPOLIS (NNS) -- Two Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) units finished with impressive victories at the 2013 National SeaPerch Challenge held in the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Natatorium, May 18-19.

The Washington (Ind.,) High School NJROTC SeaPerch team captured the Open Class Overall championship. They also finished first in the Open Class Obstacle and Open Class Deep Water Transfer events to help the unit, located 112 miles southwest of Indianapolis, finish in the overall top spot for open class entrants. The NJROTC unit from Colts Neck (N.J.,) High School also sent a SeaPerch team to the two-day competition. The Colts Neck Sea Cougars, located in northern N.J., 55 minutes from the New York border, finished first in the High School Obstacle event.

SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program that equips teachers and students 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. The SeaPerch Program provides students with the opportunity to learn about robotics, engineering, science, and mathematics while building an underwater ROV through a hands-on experience. Throughout the project, students learn engineering concepts, problem solving, teamwork, and technical applications.

Striving for more Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses, numerous schools around the U.S. are adding SeaPerch to their unit curriculum this school year.

According to the Office of Naval Research's (ONR) SeaPerch website (http://www.seaperch.org/index), "building a SeaPerch ROV teaches basic skills in ship and submarine design and encourages students to explore naval architecture and marine and ocean engineering principles. It also teaches basic science and engineering concepts and tool safety and technical procedures. Students learn important engineering and design skills and are exposed to all the exciting careers that are possible in naval architecture, as well as, ocean and marine engineering."

The Commanding Officer and Navy Science Instructor (NSI), retired Navy Capt. Neil May, called the overall win by his cadets "Spectacular! We won 1st Place Deep Water Transfer, Obstacle Course and Overall," he said.

"We also were awarded the Technical Innovation Award by the engineers. We hope we can get this feather in our cap to Navy League in time to count for our 'Most Improved' consideration. We know the Navy needs engineers and we are doing our best to get that message out there."

The NJROTC program is a citizenship and leadership development program with an impact that reaches beyond the NJROTC classroom and into the communities where NJROTC units are located. NJROTC seeks to instill in participating U.S. high school students the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment. NJROTC cadets stand out among their peers as ethical, confident, physically fit, academically dedicated young men and women. NJROTC seeks to instill a strong foundation of citizenship in America's future leaders. It is not a recruiting program, but a citizenship program. Schools that have NJROTC programs benefit from the program's stellar reputation and the cadets' community service.

The NJROTC program is currently overseen by Commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), Rear Adm. Dee L. Mewbourne, headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill. NSTC oversees 98 percent initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy. This training includes the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program at more than 150 colleges and universities that either host NROTC units or have cross-town enrollment agreements with a host university. NSTC also oversees Officer Training Command (OTC) in Newport, R.I., Recruit Training Command (RTC) at NSGL, as well as NJROTC.

NSTC's NJROTC program is divided into 11 areas across the United States that also includes units in Italy, Spain, Japan and Guam. There more than 86,000 student cadets in the more 580 units. Area 13 covers the most ground starting in Papillion, Neb., and stretching across the Pacific Ocean to Yokosuka, Japan. There are 13 Northwest states in Area 13 including Hawaii, Guam and Japan, totaling 6,086.9 miles. Texas and Florida are their own areas with 68 units in Florida (Area 4) and 55 units in Texas (Area 10). Area 6 in North Carolina and South Carolina high schools host 67 units while Area 11 in Southern California and Arizona have more than 50 units. Other areas encompass the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Plains States and Southwest. The Washington High School unit is in Area 3 and Colts Neck calls Area 4.

More information and a video presentation on Washington High School's SeaPerch team can be found at http://www1.wcs.k12.in.us/2013/05/15/whs-students-prepare-for-competition/>
Log onto http://www.seaperch.org/seaperch_challenge for a complete listing of the 2013 National SeaPerch Challenge.

For more information about NJROTC, visit https://www.njrotc.navy.mil.>
For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/greatlakes/.

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For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/greatlakes/.