The MATE ROV competition is an opportunity for students to work as a team to design, develop, test, and even market their own remote-controlled robot. Each year, the competition challenges students to enable their rovers to do a unique and specific task. For example, in past years, teams had to close a pipe that was releasing oil into the water. This is a nationwide program, and the final competition will take place in California. This year, the task revolves around shipping harbors in California.
I had the opportunity to speak with one of the members of the project, CeCe Kane. Since high school is an important time for students to explore interests, I asked her if this club could help students gain insight into a potential science career. She quickly confirmed this by saying, “This club helps students see what the engineering field is like and helps them gain various project-specific skills, from public speaking to soldering to computer coding. A huge part of this program is that it is very team oriented. There needs to be a core group of dedicated and open-minded people who are willing to work together and compromise with a final goal in mind.” She added, “An important part of the competition is a presentation that is given to a panel of judges. The presentation is supposed to mimic a team giving a sales pitch, trying to convince the panel that their project is the best for the job at hand.”
Surely, this club has a bright future. There are many students with diverse and interesting talents on the team, and they will certainly go far with their work.
Any students who are interested in participating in the MATE ROV competition are welcome to stop by Room 211 during lunch on Thursdays. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Cece Kane ([email protected]).