2021 International SeaPerch Challenge

2021 International SeaPerch Challenge

Are you ready for the first-ever virtual 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge event?!

The community celebrated the end of the 2021 SeaPerch Season with a virtual culminating event - the 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge! 

The event was full of amazing speakers, live Q&A sessions, SeaPerch team competition highlights, the 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge awards, and best of all, connecting with theSeaPerch teams from all over the world. It was a great time celebrating this year's teams and our great community of students, educators, mentors, parents, and partners! We look forward to seeing you next year!

Final Standings

Take a look at the final standings for the 2021 SeaPerch Season. Congratulations teams!

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The Experience

On June 4-5, emerge into an interactive online convening to engage the broad SeaPerch community with engaging topics from exceptional engineers, interactive breakout sessions, and more. The virtual International SeaPerch Challenge event was packed with educational sessions and engagement activities for both students and educators.

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Ticket Sales Are Closed

On June 4-5, the community gathered to celebrate all the students, educators, mentors, parents, and partners of the 2021 SeaPerch Season!

Event Schedule

Friday, June 4

6:00 – 8:15 pm EDT

 

Time Event

6:00 pm

Welcome

 
  • RoboNation
 
  • Office of Naval Research

6:20 pm

Breakout Sessions

‣ 
SnotBot – Drones for Wildlife Research & Conservation
‣ 
Team Presentations: Real-World Innovation
‣ 
Adventures in Collaborative Coding: Kai Exploring Mars

7:10 pm

Breakout Sessions

‣ 
Taking Your Passion for Robotics to College
‣ 
Diversity in Engineering
‣ 
Team Presentations: Engineering Design
‣ 
Team Presentations: Real-World Innovation
‣ 
Adventures in Collaborative Coding: Kai Exploring Mars (continued)

8:00 pm

Awards

 
  • Community & Outreach
 
  • Team Interview

 

All times in Eastern Daylight Time.

Click here to find your local timezone.

Saturday, June 5

3:00 – 6:00 pm EDT

 

Time Event

3:00 pm

Welcome

3:15 pm

Keynote

 
  • Dr. Bob Ballard

3:50 pm

Breakout Sessions

‣ 
Using Systems Engineering in Robotics
‣ 
Navigating a New Journey – Mayflower Autonomous Ship Project
‣ 
How Robotters are Going to Change the World
‣ 
Team Presentations: Engineering Design

4:40 pm

Awards

 

    • Real-World Innovation

 

  • Pool Courses

4:50 pm

Breakout Sessions

‣ 
Introducing AI in Education
 ‣ 
Where Are They Now? A SeaPerch Alumni Panel
‣ 
Learning Coding Through Hands-On Collaboration

5:40 pm

Awards

 
  • Engineering Design

 

All times in Eastern Daylight Time.

Click here to find your local timezone.

Meet the Event Speakers

Iain Kerr
Iain Kerr
Ocean Alliance
BIO

Dr. Iain Kerr is the CEO of Ocean Alliance (OA), an organization recognized as an international leader in whale research and ocean conservation since its founding in 1971 by renowned scientist Dr. Roger Payne. Under Iain’s leadership, OA has maintained a reputation for developing innovative benign research tools and techniques that engage scientists and conservationists alike. The most recent iteration of this being SnotBot.

 

CONNECT
 

www.whale.org

 

#snotbot

@oceanalliance

@Ocean Alliance Inc

 

FIND OUT MORE

 

Lindsey Groark
Lindsey Groark
RoboNation
BIO

Lindsey leads RoboNation’s K-12 portfolio as the organization’s Pre-University Program Director. She brings a passion for inclusive participation in education and her experience spans the nonprofit, academic, and industry sectors. Her work is influenced by graduate studies focused on community with an emphasis on youth engagement through participatory research models.

 

As a part of the RoboNation team, Lindsey fosters a strong STEM community, collaborates with education and research specialists, and leads the SeaPerch, SeaGlide, and new GoSense programs. To fuel her initiative, Lindsey enjoys a large cup of iced coffee and a lot of teamwork.

 

CONNECT
 

www.robonation.org

 

www.seaperch.org

 

www.seaglide.org

 

www.gosense.org

Brett Phaneuf
Brett Phaneuf
Mayflower Autonomous Ship
BIO

Brett Phaneuf is the chief executive of Submergence Group and through his office in the UK he oversees the design and production of manned and unmanned, underwater vehicle systems. Brett is also one of three founding board members of ProMare, a non-profit (501c3) public charity founded in 2001 to promote marine exploration throughout the world, and is leading the Mayflower Autonomous Ship Project, which will sail autonomously from Plymouth UK to Plymouth US.

 

CONNECT
 

www.mas400.com

@Mayflower Autonomous Ship

Laila Salguero-Saeed
Laila Salguero-Saeed
Peraton
BIO

Laila serves as Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Officer and is responsible for working across Peraton’s sectors and functions to help align the company’s DE&I goals with measurable business outcomes. She also leads the company’s ethics and compliance function and is charged with establishing and executing programs that support enterprise DE&I efforts, including the company’s employee resource groups.

 

 
CONNECT
 

peraton.com

@PeratonCorp

@peratoncorp

@Peraton

Bruce Jackson
Bruce Jackson
KAI'S CLAN
BIO

A passion for technology led Bruce to create Kai’s Clan, a more exciting way to teach coding. As a father himself, Bruce understands the importance of computer science in education and saw a way to make a positive impact through his collaborative coding platform.

 

CONNECT
 

www.kaisclan.ai

@kais_clan

 

FIND OUT MORE

 

Ronel Schodt
Ronel Schodt
AUTONOMOUS WORKS T/A KAI'S CLAN
BIO

Ronel Schodt is a voracious learner, adventurer, edupreneur and partner in learning with teachers and students around the world. Ronel is an Account Executive currently working at Kai’s Clan. Driven by her passion to inspire in others a love of learning, Ronel’s expertise is grounded in how we integrate digital technologies for developing global competencies and preparing students to succeed as next generation learners.

 

CONNECT
 

www.kaisclan.ai

@kais_clan

Elijah May
Elijah May
Robotters
BIO

Elijah’s variegated career began in the PR department of his alma mater, the University of Southern California, where he served as a liaison to the entertainment industry for eight years. A student of human behavior, moving to Austin in 2006 afforded him the opportunity to explore an entirely different business world and become well-versed in the language and psychology of start-ups, ultimately becoming a mentor, pitch coach, professional speaker, and adjunct professor. 

 

In 2014, Elijah founded The Experience Firm, a management consultancy focused entirely on customer experience, and went on to work with human-focused innovators at some of the biggest brands in the world. 

 

But his ongoing search for the hard work worth doing came to an abrupt halt when he was challenged by a close friend to take over an ambitious project and build the world’s greatest destination for people who love robots. With his family’s enthusiastic endorsement, he created the Robotters brand and stepped into the role of CEO. Today, Elijah continues to consult with global brands while developing plans for the world’s first recreational robotics arena for everyone.

 

CONNECT
 

robotters.com

@elijahmay

@elijahmay

@Elijah May

Dustin Franklin
Dustin Franklin
NVIDIA
BIO

Dustin is a developer evangelist on the Jetson team at NVIDIA. With a background in robotics and embedded systems, Dustin enjoys helping in the community and working on projects with Jetson. You can find him on the NVIDIA Developer Forums or GitHub.

 

CONNECT
Github

@dusty-nv

@Dustin Franklin

Christine Nguyen
Christine Nguyen
Boys & Girls Clubs of Western PA
BIO

Christine has exposed thousands of local youth to STEM and Computer Science-related activities through creating camps, programs, and classes. With nearly two decades in STEM Education, Christine has chartered internationally competitive robotics teams, growing the region’s involvement in technology education through robotics competitions, and creating caring and equitable environments for all students to learn. Christine has also spearheaded BGCWPA’s Artificial Intelligence Pathways Institute, a program that introduces teens to Artificial Intelligence concepts.

 

CONNECT
 

www.bgcwpa.org

@BGCWPA_STEM

@bgcwpastem

@Christine Nguyen

Derek Runberg
Derek Runberg
SparkFun Electronics
BIO

Derek Runberg is the Strategic Partnerships & Services Manager at SparkFun Electronics, where he focuses on corporate strategy and collaborating with companies to bring their ideas to life through product and project ideation. Previously, Derek worked in SparkFun’s Department of Education, where he authored the SparkFun Guide to Processing and co-authored the Inventor’s Guide to Arduino. Prior to SparkFun, he was a middle school technology/engineering teacher and a digital design lab program instructor, and is the author of the Processing and Interactivity for Educators website.

 

CONNECT
 

www.sparkfun.com

@sparkfun

Tony Foster
Tony Foster
Dell Technologies
BIO

Tony is a Kansas 4-H STEM volunteer focused on developing the potential of youth through engaging STEM activities offered through the Kansas 4-H program. He is enhancing the Kansas 4-H STEM Robotics program, empowering youth of all ages to go from simple machines to AI powered robots, allowing them to shape their community, country, and world. He works at Dell Technologies on enterprise IT solutions. You can find out more about Tony at www.wondernerd.net.

 

CONNECT
 

www.wondernerd.net

@wonder_nerd

@1drn3rd

@wondernerd

 

FIND OUT MORE
 

www.kansas4-h.org

 

STEM4KS.com

 

Angela Moran
Angela Moran
USNA, retired & Engineers On Deck, Inc
BIO

As a mechanical engineering professor at USNA, Angela Moran founded the STEM Center for Education & Outreach which provides students and teachers with hands-on experiences in all STEM fields. Dr. Moran developed a wide range of activities to make the Center a national leader in STEM. She performed sponsored engineering research for over 25 years in manufacturing, forensics, and advanced processing. She now develops and delivers Engineers On Deck workshops, based on her engineering and educational experience.

 

CONNECT
 

engineersondeck.org

 

Daniel Frank
Daniel Frank
Arizona State University/Desert WAVE
BIO

Dr. Daniel Frank is a Lecturer at Arizona State University. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida. As a graduate student, he helped the University of Florida win two international autonomous boat competitions. For over a decade he has been promoting engineering education. He currently volunteers with the Si Se Puede Foundation where he mentors two high school FIRST Robotics teams as well as the collegiate robotics team, Desert WAVE.

Vinny Ruia
Vinny Ruia
Firefly Automatix Inc.
BIO

Vinny Ruia is a currently a robotics engineer at Firefly Automatix, working on automating sod farm operations. Vinny first became involved with RoboNation when competing with his school, Georgia Tech in the RoboBoat. He eventually began to lead the team during his time at Georgia Tech and went on to compete in the RobotX and Virtual RobotX competitions as well.

 

CONNECT

@Vinny Ruia

Jamie Barnes
Jamie Barnes
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
BIO

Jamie is a Mechanical Engineering Master’s student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She has held many leadership roles as a part of the Robotics Association at Embry-Riddle (RAER), including serving as the Treasurer and President of RAER, Team Lead of the Student Unmanned Aerial Systems team, and Project Manager of the Maritime RobotX competition team. Jamie is passionate about robotics and encouraging others to get involved in STEM.

 

CONNECT

@Jamie Barnes

 

Sarah Melissa Gomez
Sarah Melissa Gomez
SDSU Mechatronics
BIO

Sarah Melissa Gomez is a graduating senior at San Diego State University completing a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. She currently leads the SDSU Mechatronics team, which designs and builds autonomous underwater vehicles for the international RoboSub competition. Outside of school, Sarah is an aerospace engineer at Parsons, where she supports the mechanical integration of small satellites for various missions including Landsat 9.

 

CONNECT

@robogrill

@Sarah Gomez

ADHUS Kingfishers
ADHUS Kingfishers
A.D. Henderson University School
BIO

ADHUS Kingfishers is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Boca Raton, Florida, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 
MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Nicholas O.

Speaker #2

Isabella L.

Team Member #3

Patrick O.

Team Member #4

Sabrina S.

Team Member #5

Hudson W.

Angry Ducks
Angry Ducks
Patriot HS
BIO

Angry Ducks is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Nokesville, Virginia, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 

MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Xavier K.

Speaker #2

Nathaniel P.

Team Member #3

Megan L.

Team Member #4 Arnav C.
Deep Sea Apollo
Deep Sea Apollo
Navigator Academy of Leadership
BIO

Deep Sea Apollo is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Davenport, Florida, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 

MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Austin H.

Speaker #2

Nathan P.

Team Member #3

Kamila M.

Team Member #4

Rayan A.

Team Member #5

Braxten S.

HMS SeaBots: Marine Explorers
HMS SeaBots: Marine Explorers
Harrington Middle School
BIO

HMS SeaBots: Marine Explorers is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 

MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Jessica Y.

Speaker #2

Aanya C.

Team Member #3

Evan G.

Team Member #4 Kunal G.
Team Member #5 Malia M.
Team Member #6 Rut P.
Team Member #7 Nikhil V.
Haddonfield Naval Engineers
Haddonfield Naval Engineers
Haddonfield Middle School
BIO

Haddonfield Naval Engineers is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Haddonfield, New Jersey, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 

MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Dashiel L.

Speaker #2

Cameron T.

Team Member #3

Liam G.

Team Member #4 Asher F.
Team Member #5 Ryan R.
Team Member #6 Abigail F.
Team Member #7 William U.
Team Member #8 Ryan B.
Liopleurodons
Liopleurodons
AlvinISD
BIO

Liopleurodons is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Pearland, Texas, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 

MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Praneel B.

Speaker #2

Ishan P.

Team Member #3

Karthik B.

Team Member #4 Arnav G.
Scuba Rats
Scuba Rats
Patriot HS
BIO

Scuba Rats is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Nokesville, Virginia, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 

MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Leanne L.

Speaker #2

Keelynn N.

Rogue Wave
Rogue Wave
Sand and Sea Robotics
BIO

Rogue Wave is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 

MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Elizabeth R.

Speaker #2

Wyatt W.

Water Monkeys
Water Monkeys
Robotics Organization for the Community
BIO

Water Monkeys is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Placentia, California, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 

MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Pranay D.

Speaker #2

Bryce D.

Team Member #3

Darshan A.

Team Member #4

Himanshu P.

Team Member #5

Dimitri K.

Team Member #6

Claire L.

Team Member #7

David P.

Waterway Wahoos
Waterway Wahoos
Fleming Island High School
BIO

Waterway Wahoos is a 2021 International SeaPerch Challenge competition team from Fleming Island, Florida, USA. Find out more about this team’s participation in the Team section.

 

MEET THE TEAM
Speaker #1

Austin H.

Speaker #2

Kincaid W.

Meet the Qualified Teams

FAQs