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44 MTR April 2006 In addition to the international competition, thirteen regional contests are taking place across the U.S and Canada - on Oahu, the Big Island (Hawaii), the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Monterey Bay, Southern California, Texas, Florida, the Southeast, the Mid- Atlantic, New England, the Great Lakes, and Newfoundland. A fourteenth regional is also taking place in Hong Kong. The winners of these events will move on to the international competition. Wanted: Skilled employees Increasing awareness of and access to ocean-related career opportunities, including those associated with ocean observing systems, is an overarching goal of the competition. To that end, the MATE Center and its Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE)-California* partners are also organizing an "Ocean Career Expo" to take place in conjunction with the international competition. The Ocean Career Expo is designed to highlight ocean career opportunities; connect students with employers; and help employers find skilled employees. Organizations are being invited to showcase their com- panies and career (job!) opportunities - and students are being encouraged to come with résumés in hand. Exhibitor fees will go directly towards supporting the competing teams, helping to offset travel and housing costs, meals, and awards - a small investment for what has the potential to be a great return. What's in a Name? Exploring career opportunities within the ocean indus- try is not the only exciting perk for students participating in the 2006 competition. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are providing ROV competition teams with the exclusive opportunity to choose a name for its new hybrid ROV (HROV). While other HROVs cur- rently exist, this vehicle, which is funded NSF, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, includes many technologi- cal advancements that make it unique, such as the use of ceramics as pressure housings. The team whose name is chosen will travel to WHOI to see the HROV up close and personal. WHOI and NSF are providing travel support, room, and board for the stu- dent team members and their instructors to visit the insti- tution for a behind-the-scenes tour of the vehicle lead by the engineers who designed it. The visit will take place in the fall of 2006 in conjunction with the annual Oceans conference and exhibition. 2006 and Beyond By focusing on ocean observing systems, MATE's goal is to increase awareness and understanding of the scientific, technological, and operational aspects of these systems and the impact they have on society and the economy. More than that, through the Ocean Career Expo and the involvement of programs like Ocean.US and ORION, the goal is to network working professionals and potential employers with students who may one day become the workforce that develops, deploys, operates, and maintains the technologies that are used to better understand, explore, and utilize our oceans. To find out how you can become involved with MATE's compe- titions, please contact Jill Zande at (831) 646-3082 or jzande@marinetech.org or visit http://www.marinetech.org/rov_competition/index.php. *COSEE is an NSF initiative designed to foster the involvement of ocean scientists, technicians, and engineers in ocean science education. COSEE-California partners include the MATE Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), the Birch Aquarium at SIO, California Sea Grant, and the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California Berkeley. Miami Dade College (Florida) shows off the "right stuff" at the NASA Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) during the 2005 international ROV competi- tion. The NBL is hosting the competition again this year. (Photo courtesy of Haniel Pulido Jr & Miami Dade College) MTR#3 (33-48).qxd 4/7/2006 11:24 AM Page 44
