NSWC Dahlgren mentors inspire students' technical innovation and ingenuity at the region's first SeaPerch competition

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - (NNS) -- As U.S. Navy divers methodically placed obstacles underwater to deter remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) built by middle and high school students at a SeaPerch Competition one day in June, a new saga began.

Could Navy divers stop the students and their ROVs at the University of Mary Washington pool?

Onlookers watched for the outcome as Navy explosive ordnance disposal divers' tactics proved no match for the tech-savvy students vying for victory in the competition.

In spite of the underwater challenges, the students creatively used their ROVs to outsmart the divers and quickly achieve their goals.

The student teams from local schools competed with innovation and navigation for the fastest time.

Meanwhile, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) military and civilian volunteers mentored the 20 students who navigated their vehicles through obstacles and underwater hoops.

The SeaPerch mentors also challenged students to use their ROVs to move small hoops from a frame to an underwater storage area in the deep-water end of the pool.

"Winners were determined by the most hoops moved in the shortest time," said John Wright, a senior NSWCDD engineer and mentor to SeaPerch students. "The students were focused on the task at hand and it was my privilege to enable them to have the experience. I watched a new generation of scientists and engineers emerge as they drove their ROVs through the challenges."

SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program adopted by the Naval Sea Systems Command as an inquiry based learning tool that trains teachers to teach their students how to build an underwater ROV in an in-school or out-of-school setting.

"The Sea Perch program provides an outstanding opportunity for the future technical leaders of our country to be exposed to real-world problems and the diverse group of real people who work to solve them," said Lt. Cmdr. Jason Fox, NSWCDD Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Deputy Weapon Systems Engineering Lead. "The genuine excitement I see from these students motivates me even more to work harder towards handing down this country's tremendous legacy of innovation."

The students' enthusiasm builds as they construct ROVs 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 competition is the end point for a hands-on Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program that students participated in throughout the school year.

"Interest in the SeaPerch program is growing, and students and teachers agree it is has made a real difference in STEM awareness," said Wright. "We have plans to expand SeaPerch in the coming year to include additional schools in the region."

The program allows teachers to emphasize the importance of STEM subjects in school and in the working world.

Students, teachers and volunteers spend 10 to 20 hours of classroom time building the ROVs and learning about the science and engineering involved in its development and use, said Wright.

Building a SeaPerch ROV teaches basic skills in ship and submarine design and encourages students to explore naval architecture and marine and ocean engineering concepts through problem-based learning. It also teaches basic science and engineering concepts, tool safety and technical procedures.