St. Andrew’s students won first place in the Gray’s Reef Regional MATE ROV 2022 competition, Navigator Class. Students were tasked with designing, constructing, and piloting remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to complete a number of underwater challenges. Their winning design was created to benefit the planet by performing underwater tasks such as gathering polutants, retrieving samples, and minor repairs.
Under the direction of St. Andrew’s faculty members, Maria Dixon and Dr. Kristin Peney, the students began designing their version of a ROV in the fall. After building three prototypes, the team continued to improve upon the final version until days before the competition.
“This project was about much more than just creating a ROV to send underwater,” said Maria Dixon. “These talented students also developed a company profile, a mission statement, marketing materials, and strengthened their presenation skills.”
Team members included freshmen Sierra Abbasi, Quentin Bronstein, Sterling Stephens, Erin Zimmerman and 8th grader Lorelei Downen.
“What I love most about this project is the experience our students received by addressing real-world environmental problems because without understanding the problem, it is difficult to design an effective ROV,” said Kristin Peney.
