Thirteen Sailors from Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic and Commander, Submarine Squadron 6 volunteered their services during the 4th Annual Tidewater Regional SeaPerch Challenge held at the Midtown Recreational Center in Newport News, April 16.

SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program that equips students with the resources they need to build an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV).

SeaPerch is sponsored by Office of Naval Research as part of the Navy's push to get students interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

COMSUBLANT Force Mechanic, Master Chief Petty Officer Courtney Roach, a native from Boring, Oregon, led the team of volunteers during this year's SeaPerch challenge. Roach acknowledged the importance of the submarine force's involvement in the STEM program.

"The submarine force is constantly looking for qualified personnel to fill the STEM needs," Roach said. "The main objective of SeaPerch is to raise awareness with our youth and expose them to STEM opportunities at a young age."

The competition consisted of three categories -- poster presentation and two pool events. Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Tyler Averett, a Newport News native, was one of the volunteers asked to judge the two pool events [obstacle course and the finesse course].

"Design and layout definitely played a key role in maneuvering through the water," said Averett. "It's amazing to witness the robot carrying out the plan the students envisioned. It's simply remarkable to see this level of technical know-how and drive at such a young age. I wish we had more state-of-the-art programs like SeaPerch when I was in school. This is one of the few robotics programs designed to entice middle and high school students."

Students had three to four minutes to present their SeaPerch poster presentation to the judges. Chief Machinist's Mate (Nuclear Power) Craig Double from Homerville, Ohio, helped judge the third aspect of the SeaPerch challenge. Double summed up the benefit of volunteering for SeaPerch.

"You can see what kids are interested in and add value, because we [submariners] have an idea of how it all works," said Double. "We can ask the students questions and give them some guidance. That's the part that's rewarding on our end."

The underwater ROV is made up of PVC pipe, remotes, batteries, motors, electrical tape and zip ties.

"This STEM-related volunteer opportunity has been very beneficial to both the military volunteers and the students," said Roach. "It allows us to teach and mentor the students during their experience and we're getting an idea of how to engage our future generation.

"These kinds of programs are important for the submarine force," said Roach. "We must spark the interest at a young age in order for the STEM program to work."

The event's 5 Tidewater Regional winners will go on to compete at the National SeaPerch Challenge scheduled in May. There will be 100+ teams from across the country competing in a juried poster competition and in-pool technical events.

For more news from Commander, Submarine Force, Atlantic, visit www.navy.mil/.