MATE ROV 2012
by Morgan Berry
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In June, students came to Orlando, FL to participate in a competition that
encourages students to enter STEM careers. It is put on by MATE (Marine
Advanced Technology Education) and represents "a national partnership of
educational institutions and organizations working to improve marine technical
education in the US." The organization's goal is to prepare students
for marine fields. It was founded — along with 10 other Advanced Technology
Education Centers — with funding from the National Science Foundation.
Among MATE’s other efforts to encourage interest in marine technology careers is the ROV competition which draws hundreds of students from across the globe to compete. The student
teams must build an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) that
performs underwater tasks. The MATE ROV competition is a
unique opportunity for students of all ages who are
interested in robotics. The obvious added difficulty of the
MATE ROV competition over other student robotics events
is that these robots must be completely waterproof. The
students also face a series of imaginary scenarios that add
real world value to the experience. This year, they had to
explore a model ship wreck and fix an oil leak.
FIGURE 1. ROV team from
Garrett County, MD.
36 SERVO 09.2012