Louisiana Tech University welcomed middle and high school students from across the region for the third annual SeaPerch Challenge at the Lambright Sports and Wellness Center on Friday, March 6.
The SeaPerch Challenge calls for students to design, build, and maneuver underwater remote-operated vehicles through an obstacle course. Students are encourages to use their engineering and programing skills in the pool that relate to real-world scenarios. The competition emphasized not only technical ability but also creativity, teamwork, and adaptability.
The event was a collaborative effort between Louisiana Tech, the SCILS Region 8 LASTEM Center, the Science and Technology Education Center (SciTEC), the Department of Defense, RoboNation, and Louisiana State University.
“SeaPerch has been a great opportunity for our students to expand their STEM knowledge,” said Jana Bennett, Caldwell Parish 4-H Agent. “Since 4-H is a youth-led organization, this gives our students the independence to do something on their own. Our parish doesn’t have many opportunities for robotics, but with the help of SCILS, SciTEC, and other parishes, we have been able to provide supplies and training for our students to participate in events such as this.”
“Our robotics team had so much fun learning about the SeaPerch Challenge and the different obstacles,” said AnnaBeth Strickland, Old Bethel Christian Academy Robotics team member . “We already had a great teamwork ethic established, but putting it into practice with the instructions, building, and remote navigation gave us more foundation to work together to do our best in the contest.”
In the future, the SCILS and SciTEC will host summer trainings where teachers have the opportunity to build a SeaPerch rover, giving them a hands-on experience that they can take back to their students.
“Our first SeaPerch summer camp will be facilitated this year by our three-time SeaPerch Championship team, Downsville Community Charter School and their coach Scott Wood,” Cox-Boniol said. “This further demonstrates how the program continues to impact more people across our area as we provide robust opportunities for STEM enhancement and success.”
For more information visit seaperch.org.
