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Team Seastorm was the overall winner of the SeaPerch Challenge at the Bath Area Family YMCA on March 3. From left are David Wetherbee, chairman of Northern New England Society of Naval Engineers; Dave Marcello, event coordinator; team Seastorm members Keegan Drouin, Kai Whitehead and Jonathan Grasser; and Cmdr. Brian Metcalf of SupShip Bath. Missing from the photo is student Zach Holbrook.
Team Seastorm was the overall winner of the SeaPerch Challenge at the Bath Area Family YMCA on March 3. From left are David Wetherbee, chairman of Northern New England Society of Naval Engineers; Dave Marcello, event coordinator; team Seastorm members Keegan Drouin, Kai Whitehead and Jonathan Grasser; and Cmdr. Brian Metcalf of SupShip Bath. Missing from the photo is student Zach Holbrook.
BATH — On March 3, a SeaPerch Challenge was held at the Bath Area Family YMCA pool. The Challenge was hosted by the Northern New England Society of Naval Engineers ( NNE ASNE). More than 30 students and Boy Scouts participated on six teams to demonstrate their SeaPerch underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Teams included Scouts from Troop 648 of Brunswick, and students from the Bath Regional Career and Technical Center and Boothbay Regional High School.

Team Muffins, won for best poster/presentation. From left is Wetherbee; Marcello; team Muffins members, Catherine Sener, Matthew Cressey and Jason Homan; and Cmdr. Metcalf. Missing from the photo is student Jeff Cooney.
Team Muffins, won for best poster/presentation. From left is Wetherbee; Marcello; team Muffins members, Catherine Sener, Matthew Cressey and Jason Homan; and Cmdr. Metcalf. Missing from the photo is student Jeff Cooney.
The competitions involved three separate events. First was the poster/presentation where students explained the science, engineering and construction aspects of the robots, along with their team’s approach to the project. The second challenge consisted of maneuvering the ROVs through an obstacle course of underwater rings, and the third and final challenge was a salvage operation in which the ROVs had to retrieve two five-gallon buckets, with vary weights attached, from the bottom of the pool.

An underwater remotely operated vehicle works to complete a task during the SeaPerch Challenge in Bath.
An underwater remotely operated vehicle works to complete a task during the SeaPerch Challenge in Bath.
The following team awards were presented by David Wetherbee, chairman of NNE ASNE, and Cmdr. Brian Metcalf of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bath:

• Best Poster/Presentation: Team “Muffins” (BRCTC)

• Best Time for the Obstacle Course: Team “ Seastorm” (BRCTC)

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• Best Time for the Salvage Operation: Team “Seastorm” (BRCTC)

First place overall was awarded to Team “Seastorm” from BRCTC, with second place being awarded to the team from Boothbay Regional High School.

Volunteers included engineers from Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bath; Alion Science and Technology; Maritime Applied Physics; and Bath Iron Works. Coaches were teachers and Scout leaders.

The SeaPerch Challenge Curriculum was integrated into the Intro to Engineering class taught by Cindy Cygan at the Bath Regional Career and Technical Center, and the Robotics class taught by Emily Higgins at the Boothbay Regional High School.

NNE ASNE is planning to make this an annual event and welcomes other schools and youth groups to participate.

Those interested in receiving more information, should contact Dave Marcello at Alion Science, 371-8533, or visit the SeaPerch website at www.seaperch.org.


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