Congratulations to all of our 2014 SeaPerch Challenge Teams!
Welcome to the 2014 SeaPerch Challenge! Taking place from May 16-18, 2014 at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), in Hattiesburg, MS, it's sure to be an exciting year with a new challenge course, 100+ incredible teams and much more.
Obstacle Course
An underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV)must be able to maneuver successfully under its own power. If a vehicle cannot maneuver to the appropriate location to perform its task, the vehicle is of no use. The submerged obstacle course involves large rings (22″ minimum diameter), oriented in any direction, through which the vehicles must travel. Teams must navigate through the obstacle course, surface, then re-submerge and return through the course to the end. Consideration of optimal maneuverability, control and speed should be given when constructing your SeaPerch (thruster placement and orientation, tether attachment, buoyancy and ballast, etc) and control box. Scores for this round will be based on the fastest time for successfully navigating the obstacle course.
There are five (5) -22″ diameter hoops in the obstacle course.
This course will be inverted and suspended from the surface due to the the depth of the Nationals Venue.
Mission Course
A new underwater event this year, called the Heist Challenge, consisted of a mesh vault wall spanning the lane from bottom to the surface. Starting 24” below the surface was a vault door, located within a 24” square opening in the wall. In order to open the door operators had to manipulate a latch with their ROV and push open the vault door. On the far side of the wall was a series of six boxes to be retrieved, each of a different weight. Operators had to pick up as many of the boxes as possible within the time allotted and deposit them on an 18” x 24” lay-down area on the operator’s side of the wall. Scoring was based on the number of boxes retrieved in 15 minutes.
2014 National SeaPerch Challenge Winners
First Place – Obstacle Course
Middle School – Red October, Newburgh, IN 0:41.63
High School – Gulf Coast Contenders Club, Saucier, MS 0:44.75
Open Class – Bloomington North Barbarians, Bloomington, IN 0:43.00
First Place – Heist Challenge
Middle School – Cynthia Heights Acro, Evansville, IN 4:57.33
High School – Gulf Coast Contenders Club, Saucier, MS 2:53.27
Open Class – Team Ageir, Gloucester, VA 3:37.92
First Place – Poster Presentation
Middle School – Neptune’s Nemesis, Gambrills, MD 81 points
High School – NZ Time Ruku, Nelson, NZ 85 points
Open Class – Outside-the-Box, Manassas, VA 80 points
First Place – All Events
Middle School – Submersibles, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 9
High School – Gulf Coast Contenders Club, Saucier, MS 5
Open Class – Bloomington North Barbarians, Bloomington, IN 6
2014 National SeaPerch Champions
Gulf Coast Contenders Club – Saucier, MS
First runner-up
Atlantis, Charleston, SC
Second runner-up Submersibles, Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Two special awards were also made to student teams this year. The Creativity Award, given to the team that demonstrated multiple unique design elements to tackle the challenges of this year’s competition, was presented to Team Outside-the-Box from Manassas, VA. The Engineering Excellence Award, demonstrating an innovative technical approach and execution during this year’s challenge, was presented to Team CPS TigerBots from Hanover, MD.
On Sunday, before traveling home, student teams and their adult leaders were on their own to explore the many educational attractions and fun events offered within the Hattiesburg city limits.
Southern Miss proved to be an excellent venue for this Fourth National SeaPerch Challenge, which was not only the largest to date, but without question, the best organized and most successful based on feedback from many of those who attended, adults and students alike.
Thank you to all of our sponsors!
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Naval Engineering Education Center (NEEC)
ASNE
CISD
Lockheed Martin
Louisiana State University
Maritime Reporter
MathWorks
Mississippi State University
NRL
NAVSEA Warfare Center Division Newport
Navy League
Navy League STEM Institute
NDEP
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STEM2Stern
University of Southern Mississippi
