2016 Oregon MATE ROV Competition

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Cait Goodwin

Students Dive into STEM in Statewide Underwater Robotics Competition

May 3, 2016 – North Bend High School and the North Bend Municipal Pool were overflowing with SCUBA divers and underwater robots last Saturday for the 5^th Annual Oregon Regional Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Competition. Over 200 elementary, middle school, high school, and college students from across Oregon took part in the event, as teams launched their underwater robots in an effort to take top honors in the region and advance to the 15^th Annual International MATE ROV Competition, which will be held at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, Texas at the end of June.

Sponsored by the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, a collaborative effort of over 60 coastal partners, this competition is an annual event that encourages students to learn and apply Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills as they develop underwater robots – also known as ROVs – to complete missions that simulate real-world problems from the ocean workplace.

Forty-one student teams from Warrenton, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Newport, Toledo, Waldport, Florence, Bandon, North Bend, Corvallis, Albany, Aloha and The Dalles participated in the day-long event.

Saturday’s competition was one of 26 regional MATE ROV competitions that are held annually around the world that feed into the International MATE ROV Competition. The competition theme changes every year, and this year’s theme highlights technologies that are developed for exploration and scientific use in both ocean and space environments. For example, in the ocean-themed missions, students used their ROVs to collect oil samples and coral specimens. The space-based missions challenged students to pilot their ROVs under the ice sheet of Jupiter’s moon Europa to collect data and deploy instrumentation. The student teams were also required to present posters detailing their ROV design and construction, and provide an engineering presentation for judges.

This year, the Oregon Regional Competition was supported by Oregon Sea Grant (OSG), the MATE Center, the Marine Technology Society (MTS), the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), The Sexton Corporation, Georgia Pacific Foundation, and Oregon State University. Over 40 volunteers from these and other organizations helped run the competition, served as mission and engineering judges, and provided dive support.

The two advanced-level college teams participating in the Explorer Class division demonstrated their ROVs to the younger students, and some of the team members served as volunteers helping to run the day’s events. Explorer teams are not required to compete at the Regional level for entry into the International competition, but they do have to submit video evidence of their ROV’s capabilities to qualify. The list of qualifying Explorer teams will be released by the MATE Center on May 15^th.

Of the thirty-nine remaining teams that competed in Saturday’s event, 15 competed in the beginner-level Scout Class, 15 competed in the intermediate-level Navigator Class, and nine competed in the upper-level Ranger Class. The top team in the Ranger Class, “Finnovators” from Newport High School, will advance to the MATE International Competition to represent Oregon. The International Competition will involve top Ranger and Explorer teams from around the world and will be held at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, Texas June 23-25, 2016.

Winners of the 2016 Oregon Regional MATE ROV Competition are:

RANGER CLASS

1st Place – Finnovators, from Newport High School – Newport, OR
2nd Place – Zalophus Systems from Life Christian School – Aloha, OR
3rd Place – Taft Tech from Taft 7-12 High School – Lincoln City, OR

NAVIGATOR CLASS

1st Place – West Coast Robotics from Bandon High School – Bandon, OR
2nd Place – Zalotech from Life Christian School – Aloha, OR
3rd Place – Neptune’s Nightmare from Taft 7-12 High School – Lincoln City, OR

SCOUT CLASS

1st Place – Zalora Industries from Life Christian School – Aloha, OR
2nd Place – Coherence Robotics from Bandon High School – Bandon, OR
3rd Place – Irish ROVs from Crestview Heights School – Waldport, OR

JUDGES’ CHOICE AWARDS

Team Spirit Award – R.U.W.E. from Taft 7-12 High School – Lincoln City, OR
Best Poster Award – Zalophus Systems from Life Christian School – Aloha, OR

Finnovators from Newport High School 2016 1st place Ranger Class

The Finnovators from Newport High School placed 1st in the Ranger Class and received seed money from local industry to help defray costs of their travel to the International Competition in Houston

See more photos on Facebook

Free Earthquake Camp for Girls

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Cait Goodwin

By Central Oregon Coast National Organization for Women

There will be a whole lot of shaking going on for Lincoln County middle school age girls this July, thanks to the Central Oregon Coast NOW Foundation with funding from the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund! This FREE three day Earthquake Camp will be held at the Oregon Coast Community College North Campus in Lincoln City from Monday through Wednesday, July 18 to 20, 2016, 10 am to 3 pm.

This is a chance for girls to explore the world of earthquakes, how they are created, how scientists record and study them, and how engineers work to help reduce their impact on human lives. A number of exciting hands on activities and experiments are sure to catch the enthusiasm of those girls who attend the camp. An important part of learning about earthquakes is understanding the hazards earthquakes present. The girls will learn how buildings can “resonate” in an earthquake. They will also learn how liquefaction occurs, and how engineers strengthen buildings to make them more resilient to earthquake shaking. The girls will even build their own working seismometer using basic skills in engineering and electronics!

The camp will wrap up by teaching the girls the steps to take to make sure that they and their families are safe. They will build an earthquake/tsunami preparedness “go-bag” that they will be taking home, along with the seismometer that they made.

The camp is open to all Lincoln County middle school age girls. There are a limited number of openings, so girls should register NOW. Applications for the camp are available at http://oregonshakes.com/camp/QuakeCampApplication.pdf .

Girls and women are dramatically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It is during the middle school years that girls’ participation and interest in these subjects tends to falter. It is hoped that by giving them the opportunity to participate in a fun and engaging Earthquake Camp, led by women role models, it will peak their interest in STEM subjects. The Camp will provide Central Oregon Coast middle school girls with the opportunity to explore the world of earthquakes using skills in engineering, geology and math.

Teaching the class will be Kay Wyatt, a widely published and award winning exploration geophysicist with over 30 years of experience in exploration seismology. Wyatt, who has two engineering degrees, has an uncanny knack of explaining complicated subjects in an easy to understand and entertaining way. Since retiring, Ms. Wyatt has spent the last fourteen years working in earthquake and tsunami outreach on the coast of Oregon, fulfilling her lifelong dream of bringing the world of science to children. Founding Oregon Shakes in 2004, Kay installs working seismograph stations in schools and after school programs in Lincoln County. Kids of all ages can see earthquakes from around the world arrive on their seismographs, encouraging them to learn about coastal geology as well as a taste of science, math and engineering. Ms. Wyatt will be an exceptional role model to young girls who may someday be the scientists and engineers of the future.

For more information about Earthquake Camp, please call Jan Eisele at 503-965-9950, or email centraloregoncoastnow@gmail.com.

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The Central Oregon Coast Chapter of the National Organization for Women is an active partner in the Oregon Coast STEM Hub. Its members serve on the Steering Committee as STEM Competition judges and STEM mentors, and the organization supports student experiences in STEM that target girls. In addition to the Earthquake Camp described in this article, Central Oregon Coast NOW has supported the 2015 GEMS camp (Girls in Engineering and Marine Science) and a scholarship for an all-girls team competing in the 2015 Oregon Regional MATE ROV Competition.

Renewable Energy Challenge

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Cait Goodwin

Creative wind turbine designs

NEWPORT – Hatfield Marine Science Center will be hosting the third annual Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge on Tuesday, April 19th from 10 am to 2 pm. Over 200 3rd through 12th grade students from Warrenton, Seaside, Tillamook, Toledo and Waldport will bring their student built wind, wave, and solar energy devices to compete for top honors at this year’s competition. In addition to testing their devices in wave tanks, solar tracks and in a wind tunnel, teams will interact with a panel of engineering judges who will further rate teams on knowledge and design innovation. Students will also have the opportunity to hear about current research on potential impacts of offshore wind energy devices, and participate in HMSC’s Sustainability Quest, an educational clue-directed hunt.

This year’s Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge is made possible by support from the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund, Georgia-Pacific Foundation, Oregon Sea Grant, Oregon State University, and the Oregon Coast STEM Hub. Teams with top wind energy devices will be invited to participate in the National KidWind Challenge which will take place in New Orleans at the end of May.

Engineering judges interview a student

Engineering judges interview a student

Tsunami Quest Education

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Cait Goodwin

On Tuesday, March 29^th, more than 100 seventh graders from Newport Middle School spent the day at Hatfield Marine Science Center learning about tsunamis. The day was the first of three visits the students will make to HMSC this spring as they work to create an interpretive clue-directed “Tsunami Quest” for the public. The Tsunami Quest project is made possible with the help of many community partners and volunteers, and we were fortunate to have terrific sunshine throughout this first field trip.

Exploring tsunami inundation maps

Through outdoor explorations and hands-on labs, the students learned about earthquake and tsunami safety, and discovered what to do if a local earthquake were to occur at HMSC. Oregon Sea Grant Coastal Hazard Specialist Pat Corcoran kicked off the day in Hennings Auditorium with a lively presentation about tsunami safety, and then the students rotated through learning stations in smaller groups. Oregon State Parks staff and volunteers led students on outdoor Quests at HMSC in the morning, and in the afternoon they guided students on a walk up to the top of Safe Haven Hill. A geologist from DOGAMI led a session on using and interpreting tsunami inundation maps, and Sea Grant educators helped students model the effects of seismic activity on wet sand in a “Liquefaction Lab”. At another station, the 12 and 13 year olds worked with their math teacher to measure their speed of travel under various conditions. At the end of the day, the students were given ideas about how to turn their learning and expertise into an educational Quest.

Calculating rates of speed

The Oregon Coast Quests education program has been providing outdoor experiences for youth and families since 2007. Quests are self-guided, clue-directed hunts that get people outside learning about place, community and local issues. Participants use maps and written directions to navigate through an outdoor space, collecting clues that lead to the discovery of a hidden Quest box. As they travel, explorers learn about the natural and cultural treasures of place as their attention is drawn to details in the environment that may have otherwise been overlooked. Topics of interpretive focus range from watershed and estuarine habitats, to the commercial fishing industry and coastal settlement history. Quest clues and boxes stay in place throughout the year, and maps and directions for active Quests are distributed to the public through The Oregon Coast Quests Book. The book is published every two years, and select individual Quests are given away by site hosts or made available for free download online. Audiences impacted by Quests include not only the more than 1,000 people who go on Quests each year, but also the youth groups and other community members who create Quests for others.

Liquefaction Lab

The learning behind Tsunami Quest-building project is interdisciplinary. Students are learning about the science of earthquakes and tsunamis, exploring engineering as they participate in OSU’s Tsunami Structure Challenge, and using mathematics to calculate speed of evacuation. They are also using writing and art to convey information.

The new Tsunami Quest will begin at the front doors of the Sea Grant-operated HMSC Visitor Center, which is located in a tsunami inundation zone and attracts 150,000 visitors annually. The 7^th graders will visit HMSC again on April 12th when they will start the writing process. Their finished Quest will be ready to test on younger students by the end of the school year, and then it will be made available to the public and to school groups visiting HMSC.

Following this pilot project, Oregon State Parks and other partners plan to work with students in other coastal areas to create additional site-specific Tsunami Quests. This engaging learning activity will not only inform the public about tsunami safety at Quest sites, but also support a cultural shift toward increased public awareness of tsunami risk and response at all coastal locations.

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Cait Goodwin is the Coordinator of the Oregon Coast Quests program at Oregon Sea Grant. She is also the Communications Coordinator for the Oregon Coast STEM Hub. For more information about Quests or this project, visit http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/quests, “like” the Quests Facebook page, or contact Cait at cait.goodwin@oregonstate.edu

Underwater Robotics

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Cait Goodwin

How are gliders and remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) used to explore the ocean? What skills are needed to build and operate an underwater robot? Over the next several weeks, students, educators and community members will have the opportunity to find out the answers to these questions by engaging in one or more of the following STEM learning experiences on the Oregon coast:

LECTURES

Hear Dr. Stahr on March 4th at SWOCC in Coos Bay

Coming up on March 4^th, Dr. Fritz Stahr will be giving two presentations at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay. The first presentation, “My Other Vehicle is Unmanned”, will be held at 1:00pm and is geared toward students who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. This is a great field trip opportunity for STEM classes and robotics teams! Dr. Stahr will talk about real ocean gliders, SeaGlide vehicles, and ROVs. The talk is FREE and will last about one hour. Later in the evening, Dr. Stahr will give a second presentation geared toward the general public that covers similar themes. His talk, “Where the Wild and Robotic Things Are”, is part of the SWOCC Geology Lecture Series, and is also the keynote address for the Sharing the Coast Conference taking place March 4-6. Dr. Stahr’s lecture is FREE to all, and you do not need to be registered for the conference to attend. For more information about these lectures, contact Ron Metzger at 541-888-7216.

SeaGlide vehicle

Make your plans today:

March 4^th 1:00pm – Student presentation
Download a flyer
March 4^th 7:00pm – Public presentation
Download a flyer * More information

WORKSHOP

Learning how to build an underwater glider

Hearing from Dr. Stahr will surely be of interest to the 28 educators who have registered to take part in the SeaGlide Educator Workshop on February 27^th at Hatfield Marine Science Center. In this hands-on training, middle and high school teachers will find out how underwater gliders are being used in ocean research, and then they will learn how to build model gliders with their students. The workshop is made possible by LADC-GEMM (LIttoral Acoustic Demonstration Center – Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling), NOAA PMEL (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration – Pacific Marine Environmental Lab) Acoustics program, and Oregon Sea Grant. Although the February workshop is full, the Oregon Coast STEM Hub hopes to be able to arrange a similar workshop in the future.

COMPETITION

Students throughout the state are currently gearing up for the annual Oregon Regional MATE ROV Competition which will be held on April 30, 2016 in North Bend. Students ranging from middle school to college age are learning and applying STEM skills as they build ROVs to complete missions that simulate real challenges in ocean and space environments. The theme for this year’s competition is “From the Gulf of Mexico to Jupiter’s Moon Europa: ROVs Exploring Inner and Outer Space” and the full competition manuals for each of the four classes can be accessed through regional website. Registration is now open, and lead Instructors are encouraged to register their teams as soon as possible at http://oregon.marinetech2.org/registration. Qualifying teams from the Ranger and Explorer classes will advance to the International Competition held June 23-25, 2016 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center – Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, Texas. The growing Oregon Regional event reaches hundreds of students, and there are many opportunities for STEM partners to volunteer as judges, divers, or scorekeepers on April 30th. For more information, contact Tracy Crews at OregonCoastSTEM@oregonstate.edu.

Check out these blog posts from last year’s competition:

April 24, 2015 – April 25^th ROV Competition
April 28, 2015 – MATE ROV: A Teacher’s Reflection
June 18, 2015 – MATE International ROV Competition
November 19, 2015 – ROV Displayed at Aquarium

Students compete with their ROVs at the Regional Competition

The lectures, workshops and competitions described above are all listed on the Oregon Coast STEM Hub website, along a plethora of other STEM-related resources and opportunities. Find out what is going on in your area, and how you and your family, students and coworkers can get involved in STEM learning on the Oregon coast.

http://oregoncoaststem.oregonstate.edu/

Science Fair K-5 Celebration

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Cait Goodwin

The 2016 Newport Schools Science Fair was a huge success! More than 1,000 people attended the three hour event at Hatfield Marine Science Center on Thursday, January 21st, where 150 student displays representing the work of more than 800 students in grades K-5 filled the Visitor Center and staff lounge. A variety of plants, aquatic habitats, engineering models and other materials accompanied the displays, and the students used writing, math, and art to communicate their discoveries. One class even performed a play to share what they knew about plankton behavior. Students, families, mentors, teachers, school administrators, HMSC staff and others from the community had a chance to view all the displays and talk to young scientists about their discoveries. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm from everyone involved!

This year was the largest Science Fair yet. Every K-5 classroom in Newport participated in Science Fair this year, which adds up to 33 classrooms and 35 amazing teachers. Thanks very much to the 44 people who served as Science Mentors, making regular visits to classrooms at Yaquina View and Sam Case schools to assist students with their investigations. Science Mentors shared their enthusiasm for science, and helped the students see themselves as scientists.

This year, mentors came from: The Bureau of Land Management – Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, Central Lincoln Peoples Utility District, Central Oregon Coast Chapter of the National Organization for Women, City of Newport, Lincoln County School District, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Marine Operations Center – Pacific, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and Ship Bell M. Shimada), Oregon Coast Aquarium, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon State University (Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon Sea Grant), OSU Master Gardeners, Pacific West Ambulance, Sea Gypsy Research, United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service, and United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Thank you also to all the science mentors, HMSC Visitor Center Staff and Volunteers who helped set up and run the Science Fair event. We couldn’t have done it without you! Finally, we are grateful for the continued support from Oregon Sea Grant, the Yaquina View and Sam Case Boosters, Lincoln County School District, Oregon Coast STEM Hub, and the HMSC Director’s office, all of which ensure that Science Fair continues to be a valued annual event in our community.

The Newport Schools Science Fair is just one of many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities benefiting students living on the Oregon Coast. To find out about more STEM events, competitions and opportunities for you to get involved, visit the Oregon Coast STEM Hub website at http://oregoncoaststem.oregonstate.edu/ or email OregonCoastSTEM@oregonstate.edu. The Oregon Coast STEM Hub office is located in Newport at the Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Read the News-Times coverage of the event: Science Fair Draws Crowd

Robotics Team Competes

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Cait Goodwin

By Cari Jenkins

On December 6, 2015, First Lego League (FLL) teams gathered at the Evergreen Space Museum in McMinnville for a Regional FLL Qualifying Tournament. Newport’s Electrified LEGOS team was in attendance, ready to compete with their robot. This year, the team was made up of eight team members ranging from 4^th to 7^th grade. Four were returning members from last year’s SNL-Super Ninja Legends team, and four were new members to FLL.

By the end of the day, the Electrified LEGOS team learned that they were one of the lucky teams chosen to compete in the FLL State Championships to be held on January in Hillsboro.

Electrified LEGOS

The team has been meeting at least weekly since late August to complete this year’s FLL Challenge – “Trash Trek”. Team members partnered with Thompson Sanitary, County Waste, Master Composter SeaHart Elan and Sam Case Elementary School to figure out a way to reduce the amount of food waste being thrown into the landfill from the school. The team did a waste audit at Sam Case for two days to know how much was being thrown away and then presented their findings to the Lincoln County School Board and Sam Case administration and staff. On top of the challenge research, the team also used a LEGO EV3 robotics kit to design, build and program a robot, which completes as many missions as possible on a 4-foot by 8-foot playing field.

As part of the tournaments the team must present their robot and programs for judging, present their food waste findings to another team of judges explaining why they chose to help solve this issue, show their teamwork skills to yet another team of judges using the FLL Core Values, and then compete with their robot in three different competition rounds.

Electrified LEGOS is sponsored by Lincoln County 4-H and HC Networks. Team members include Reegan Jenkins, Katie Hartsell, Marcus Lehrer, Kaden Raever, Ella Jenkins, Charlotte Gardner, Gracie Ison, and Merak Krutzikowsky. They will be competing at the State Competition during the weekend of January 9th and 10th.

A list of coastal teams competing in December’s FLL Qualifying Tournaments:

Warrenton
F1shSt1ckz from Warrenton Grade School
V.I.G. 2 from Wood Middle School
What? from Wood Middle School
Fire Breathing Toasters from Wood Middle School
Error Code 404 from Wood Middle School

Seaside
Broadway Sharks from Broadway Middle School
BMS Plankton from Broadway Middle School

Jewell
Bluejay Bricks from Jewell School District

Newport
Electrified LEGOS from Lincoln County 4-H and HC
RoboDragons from Newport Recreation Center

Florence
Paper-cut Recycling from Siuslaw Middle School
Team K.L.A.P. from Siuslaw Middle School
Team Paper Shredders
Team Smarter Beaches!
Siuslaw Geek Squad

Coos Bay
Nightmare Kitty from Millicoma Intermediate School
OMG Ort Minimizing Gypsies from Sunset Middle School – read more
Recycling Electronics from Sunset Middle School

Full list of all FLL teams

Help recover the SS Dolphin!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Cait Goodwin

The yellow line shows the path of the SS Dolphin in November and December

The GPS-equipped unmanned sailboat SS Dolphin prepared by Coos Bay students was launched from the R/V Thompson on May 24, 2015 off the coast of Washington. It made landfall a few days later on Ocean Shores. The vessel was recovered, and was redeployed again by the R/V Thompson on November 19th. After sailing several hundred kilometers to the south, it reversed direction, sailed north, and made landfall on Long Beach Vancouver Island on the 9th of December.

Its track can be see here.

Do you have a contact in that area who could help us recover this 5 ft vessel? Please share and contact OregonCoastSTEM@oregonstate.edu if you can assist!

Visit the SS Dolphin page on the Educational Passages website to learn more about the boat, its launch, and its journey.

Tribal Grant Supports STEM Camp

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Cait Goodwin

Congratulations to another Oregon Coast STEM Hub partner who has received funds to provide STEM education experiences for students living on the Oregon Coast. From the Oregon Coast Daily News:

Siletz Tribal Grant will Help Students Go To Earthquake Camp:

The Central Oregon Coast NOW Foundation is excited to announce that it was awarded a grant from the Siletz Tribal Charitable Fund of $1661.00 to be used by the Central Oregon Coast Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Committee for its planned summer 2016 Earthquake Camp for girls.

Central Oregon Coast Chapter of NOW has an active STEM Committee, and its members are involved in a variety of activities throughout the year:

In addition to the Engineering Camp, the STEM committee also hopes to conduct a “Starry Night” astronomy camp for girls during the summer of 2016. Central Oregon Coast NOW has helped sponsor two girls robotics teams, and also the 2015 GEMS (Girls in Engineering and Marine Science) Camp. Some of the STEM committee members have served as mentors for the Newport Science Fair students, and as judges for the MATE ROV robotics competitions.

Read full article

As details about STEM summer camps and events becomes available they will be shared on the Oregon Coast STEM Hub website.

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Central Oregon Coast National Organization for Women is a partner in the Oregon Coast STEM Hub.

ROV Displayed at Aquarium

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Cait Goodwin

Students’ Underwater Robot Returns to Aquarium after Trip Abroad
Oregon Coast Aquarium

Newport, Oregon—At first glance, a cube of PVC pipe trailed by a string of wires and cables is a puzzling presence for some Oregon Coast Aquarium visitors in the new exhibit, Secrets of Shipwrecks: Part History. Part Mystery.

In the exhibit, it represents one of the tools researchers use for underwater exploration and archaeology, and pays homage to the fact that people from all walks of life can wield this technology.

The contraption sports scratches and wear, and zip-ties hold repurposed plastic water bottles to its control tether. The underwater remotely operated vehicle, or ROV for short, is the creation of three Taft High School students under guidance of Science Department Chair Noah Lambie.

Team RUWE (Robotic Underwater Exploration) created the ROV for the Oregon Regional MATE (Marine Advanced Technology Education) Competition. Each student assumed a role, with Kyle Macrae as CFO, Hunter Bishop as CEO and Eneki Trujillo as Head Engineer. RUWE took the title in the Ranger Class, qualifying them for the international competition at Newfoundland, Canada.

The opportunity to compete against 60 other teams from universities and prestigious prep schools across the globe presented a tremendous opportunity and set of challenges. Their winnings only covered a portion of the trip, Lambie and the students started a crowdfunding campaign, and sold totes and shirts to make up the difference.

The trio’s previous triumph was in a fresh water pool – not deeper than 12 feet, but the international competition would plunge the students’ robot in Arctic Ocean conditions.

RUWE knew they needed to adjust the robot’s buoyancy control for deep, saline water, and were unsure how their ROV would react to the cold. Lambie reached out to the Aquarium for help. Their first test drive in the Passages of the Deep exhibit deflated the bicycle tube, sending their buoyancy control plans back to the drawing board. Round two proved more successful, and as June drew to a close they headed to Canada.

They found fierce competition; many of the rival ROVs cost more than ten times Taft High’s students’ budget, and were handled by college students. Their innovation and dedication earned them 20th place out of 63 competitors, and the “Bang for the Buck” award.

“This was a huge opportunity for my students,” said Lambie. “They are very capable, natural and intuitive with robotics. Just give them a few projects, a little bit of guidance and let them go.”

The Aquarium offered to exhibit the ROV to honor Team RUWE, and in hopes of inspiring more applied-STEM projects in classrooms and beyond. The ROV will be on display through December of 2016.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is dedicated to the highest quality aquatic and marine science programs for recreation and education so that the public better understands, cherishes, and conserves the world’s natural marine and coastal resources. An accredited Association of Zoos & Aquariums institution, this 501(c)3 non-profit organization is ranked as one of the top 10 aquariums in the U.S. Visit us at 2820 S.E. Ferry Slip Rd., Newport, OR. www.aquarium.org, 541-867-3474. Follow us on Facebook.com/OregonCoastAquarium, or Twitter.com/OrCoastAquarium for the latest updates.

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The Oregon Coast Aquarium and Taft High School (Lincoln County School District) are partners in the Oregon Coast STEM Hub. In addition, the Oregon Coast STEM Hub and Oregon Sea Grant coordinate the Oregon Regional MATE ROV Competition with support from MATE, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Marine Technology Society, AUVSI, The Sexton Corporation, and Oregon State University. The next Oregon Regional MATE ROV Competition will be held April 30, 2016 in North Bend, Oregon.