News from the STEM Office  

seaperch_showcase_2014.JPG

SeaPerch Showcase

Posted on: May 07, 2014 08:00 EDT by Sarah Durkin

The Naval Academy hosted a SeaPerch Showcase on Friday, May 2, 2014. 5th grade students from 27 public schools in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s County were invited to test their SeaPerch, an underwater remote operated vehicle that they have built during the year at their schools.

360 students, accompanied by 30 teachers as well as parents and chaperones, spent the day doing hands-on STEM activities. 33 faculty, staff and volunteers along with 5 midshipmen led the activities.

Students launched their own SeaPerch in the tow tank, tested it in a speed trial and obstacle course, and maneuvered it to retrieve floating rings. For many groups, this was the first time they tested their SeaPerch in the water.  Staff was on hand to assist groups in needed repairs and last-minute fixes, so that every group had a successful trial.

Students participated in additional STEM challenges throughout the day. Students were challenged to engineer neutrally buoyant “flinkers”, designed to neither float nor sink.

In another activity, students designed rockets made of straws. Shouting, “Fire in the hole!”, students used compressed air to launch their rockets at a target.

During the day, students also visited the Naval Academy Museum, and completed a STEM scavenger hunt. They answered questions about objects in the museum relating to STEM topics.

The event was a wonderful culmination for these students, who worked hard this year on building their own SeaPerch and are growing into young engineers.

"The Anne Arundel County Public Schools system working in conjunction with the United States Naval Academy continues to support over 650 students in elementary, middle and high school SeaPerch Clubs," said Mary Hartman, a science teacher at Old Mill Middle School South, "We appreciate the long term  partnerships with the United States Naval Academy and we look forward to infusing more of the SeaPerch experience into classroom instruction as we expand our STEM school based initiatives."

Event Photos

 

Back to top