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SeaPerch and Saving the World Last week, I had the pleasure of giving the keynote address at the SeaPerch conference in Hawaii. If you aren’t familiar with it, SeaPerch is a kit that allows students to construct a simple, remotely-operated underwater vehicle, or ROV, from PVC pipe and other readily available materials. The SeaPerch Program is funded by the Office of Naval Research as part of the National Naval Responsibility for Naval Engineering (NNRNE) to find the next generation of Naval Architects, Marine Engineers, Naval Engineers, and Ocean Engineers. After the SeaPerch is constructed, the students are encouraged to test their vehicles, deploy them on “missions,” and compete in the SeaPerch Challenge. A two-day training program to teach the teachers how to build the SeaPerch, and also discuss curriculum for the classroom, is provided at no cost to the school district. The first-ever SeaPerch Stakeholders Conference was a big success. The program was timely, relevant, and the speakers did an outstanding job of communicating their various programs, models, topics and ideas to an eager audience. As I learned more about SeaPerch, I found myself wondering why there aren’t more schools participating – SeaPerch is hands-on, engaging, low cost, fun, dynamic, and encourages teamwork and communication. I wish this kit had been around when I was in school. If you’ve followed this blog and read my most recent book, Engineers Make a Difference, you probably know that I’m a big fan of finding ways to get more students involved in engineering. SeaPerch can be a wonderful vehicle to connect with a student’s altruistic ideals. What if the cure for cancer lies on the bottom of the ocean? Could our oceans one day be the largest generator of electricity? Can the shortage of water around the world be lessened through engineering a better/more efficient/lower cost desalinator? Get involved - you never know if SeaPerch will be the project that encourages a student to Save the World! Posted by Celeste Baine on August 11, 2009 Talkback From Ed Thorton - Is this the MIT program http://seaperch.mit.edu? I saw them at Makerfaire and thought it was a fantastic idea. Posted on June 30, 2009 at 7:31 pm PST From Celeste Baine - Yes, MIT started the program but it is now run by SNAME. Posted on August 13, 2009 at 8:03 am PST Post your comments to SeaPerch and Saving the World |
