May 13, 2023
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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The 12th Annual International SeaPerch Challenge was held Saturday, May 13, 2023, at the University of Maryland – College Park with 147 teams of motivated, top-performing middle and high school students who earned the right to compete against their peers by participating in 76 regional qualifiers held in 29 states/US territories and 7 countries.
Competition day began bright and early with nearly 850 students showcasing their expertise in navigating the underwater Obstacle and the Challenge Courses. With the theme of this year’s event being Ocean Exploration, students were expected to strategically navigate their SeaPerch ROVs through tasks such as seafloor mapping, removing marine life from an underwater station, and retrieving water samples.
Sixty teams were invited to present the Engineering Design Process used during their SeaPerch builds and to share their experiences and lessons learned. These open sessions, attended by teams, mentors, and spectators, were designed to assist students in honing their academic presentation skills. Networking and open dialogue to share perspectives and ask other teams questions were strongly encouraged.
To pass the time between pool events and presentations, teams attended tours of the world-class Maryland Robotics Center housed in the Institute for Systems Research within the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
The Team Village area and Student Lounge afforded students the opportunity to meet, mingle, relax, play games, and compare their design enhancements and innovations as well as the challenges they encountered during the season.
The day concluded with a live-streamed Awards Ceremony so friends and families back home could share in the excitement as the top-scoring teams in each competition event were announced. Class Champion trophies and several special awards were also given.
For final results, click here.
For pictures from the event, click here.
