Underwater robotics are pretty cool, anyway.

But the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center, in Monterey, starts there.    Then, they use underwater robotics to teach STEM skills applicable to daily life, with a healthy dose of creativity.

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MATE Center sponsors an annual underwater robotics competition for students of all ages.   Since its inception in 2002, their competition has expanded, to welcome student teams from all over the world.    MATE Center’s seventeenth International ROV (remote-operated vehicle) competition is happening Thursday through Saturday, June 21-23, 2018.

Jill Zande is MATE Center’s Associate Director.  In our 2017 interview, she shared the story of MATE Center, with which she’s been involved since they opened in 1998, as well as the story of their underwater robotics competition.

And at the time we spoke, MATE Center had just launched a new nonprofit: MATE Inspiration for Innovation, of which Jill is President.  Their goal: to continue to offer the underwater robotics competitions and expand the program in the future.

Jill offered a preview of the 2018 underwater robotics competition, explained what’s involved for the students and shared some resources for parents, teachers and educators.

On this edition of Over Coffee® you will hear:

• What the 2018 underwater robotics teams will need to accomplish, in the international competition in Federal Way, Washington;

• One especially challenging aspect facing the teams (hint: this one can be difficult for professional engineers!)

• The three aspects of the International ROV Competition’s location-based theme, and what teams need to do to work with them;

• The skills students gain, as the ultimate goal of MATE Center’s underwater robotics competitions;

• How the competition is preparing a global community of innovators for a changing workplace;

• How Jill’s own daughter and her classmates are responding to the underwater robots as they grow;

• What Mate Inspiration for Innovation is currently doing (and how you can help!)

• The resources through which MATE Center is making underwater robotics accessible (including their workshops, maker kits and curricula);

• One project available for a “mini-competition” for anyone who doesn’t necessarily want to compete but would still like to build an underwater robot!;

• Jill’s vision for the future with Mate Inspiration for Innovation, and the underwater robotics competition.

• How the competition is just a beginning, to getting students starting to think about taking their robots into their communities.

 

Editor’s note: Jill emails, “I would like to acknowledge and thank our current sponsors, including the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the MTS ROV Committee.  Like all of our wonderful volunteers, this competition could not take place without our sponsors’ financial and technical support.”

Safe journey to her, and to all the teams competing in the 2018 International ROV Competition!