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Teams participating in the fifth annual ROV competi- tion organized by the MATE Center and the Marine Technology Society's (MTS) ROV Committee are experi- encing first-hand the scientific and technical challenges that many ocean scientists, technicians, and engineers face every day. That's because the competition is tasking mid- dle and high school, college, and university students from Hawaii to Newfoundland with designing ROVs for the next generation of ocean observing systems. Teaming up with the National Office for Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observations, Ocean.US, and the Ocean Research Interactive Observatory Networks (ORION) Program, the 2006 competition is highlighting ocean observing systems and the careers, organizations, and technologies associated with ocean observatories. Nearly 200 student teams are building vehicles for underwater mission tasks that include deploying and net- working instruments for power and communications and recovering equipment for maintenance and repair. The teams are also preparing for engineering presentations, where they describe their vehicle and its systems to a panel of industry professionals. In addition to focusing on the operational aspects of ocean observatories, students are exploring the practical applications and the research questions made possible by observing systems. The teams' findings will be presented in their technical reports and poster displays. Background The MATE Center and the MTS ROV Committee cre- ated the ROV competition program to expose students to science, technology, and engineering-related careers; encourage students to develop technical, teamwork, and problem solving skills; help bridge the gap between the education system and the technical workplace; and, most importantly, to provide industry with skilled individuals who can fill workforce needs. Since 2001, MATE and the ROV Committee have worked with MTS and more than 20 other organizations to coordinate and facilitate international and regional ROV competitions. To date these competitions have involved more than 2,000 students from across North America, challenging them to apply the physics, math, electronics, and engineering skills that they are learning in the classroom to scenarios that are based on situations encountered in the workplace. This type of hands-on, real-world learning experience is invaluable, especially in light of the crisis in science, tech- nology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at the middle and high school level. More than that, with 42 MTR April 2006 2006 MATE Student ROV Competition Setting Sights on Ocean Observing Systems The Polar Submersibles ROV team gets wet during a practice session in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Patrick Endres) MTR#3 (33-48).qxd 4/10/2006 10:38 AM Page 42
