ST. FRANCIS, Wis. — More than 120 middle and high school students competed in the annual SeaPerch Competition presented by the Milwaukee Navy League on Sunday.
The competition required 30 teams of students to build robots that operate underwater.
"It's just a really unique opportunity," said Cadet First Lt. Sarah Martens, a senior at Muskego High School. "I was able to make an underwater ROV with a group of four other cadets."
The competition was held at the pool at Deer Creek Intermediate School in St. Francis. The teams had to create robots that had to operate in two courses, using supplies like PVC pipe and toilet bowl wax and motors.
"They have to design a vehicle where they can navigate two courses: An obstacle course where they navigate through five rings for time, and a mission course which changes every year. They have to map a sea floor, they have to clean creatures off of a lab station, and move water samples around underwater," said Erik Wolbach, STEM chairperson for the Milwaukee Navy League.
For the students, increased understandings of math and science aren't the only takeaways.
"They're learning time management skills, how to troubleshoot and repair something on the fly, how to make changes and how to work together with a team in a stressful environment," said Wolbach.
For Martens, the competition was a chance to prove a passion for engineering.
"This is a really cool opportunity to show what I'm working on learning, some things about engineering, because I hope to have a major in engineering at the Air Force Academy, so this is a real hands-on chance for me to get involved in the design process," she said.
Sunday's competition was a productive event full of learning and growth for local kids with impressive engineering skills.
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