Engineers from Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories
(KAPL) and teachers from Ballston Spa
Middle School and Martin Luther King School
spent a day learning how to construct underwater
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).
At the end of the day the teams of three had
constructed robots which were tested in the
Ballston Spa High School pool. The teachers
and engineers are now utilizing the information
from the training to launch SeaPerch teams in
their respective schools.
SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program developed by MIT and the Office of Naval Research that equips teachers and students with the resources they need to build an underwater ROV in a classroom or after school setting.
Students build the ROV from a kit comprised of low-cost, easily accessible parts, following a curriculum that teaches basic skills in engineering with a focus on ship and submarine design and encourages students to explore an engineering career in support of the Navy fleet.
The SeaPerch program is funded through a $2,000 grant from the Bechtel Foundation and led by a team of KAPL volunteers. Training was provided by the Office of Naval Research. The teachers now serve as advisors and the KAPL engineers serve as mentors to nine Ballston Spa Middle School teams of three to four students.
They are meeting once a week after school and constructing their own underwater ROVs with the goal of hosting an underwater robotics demonstration later this semester.
KAPL is operated for the Department of Energy by Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp. KAPL employs more than 2,600 people at two major sites, in Niskayuna and in West Milton. KAPL employees develop advanced nuclear propulsion technology, provide technical support for the safe and reliable operation of existing naval reactors and provide training to naval personnel who operate them.
Learn more about the SeaPerch program at www.SEAPERCH.org. Check the Ballston Spa school district website at www.bscsd.org or contact Science Coordinator Diane Irwin at the Ballston Spa Central School District (884- 7150) for additional information on robotics initiatives in Ballston Spa.
Photo Courtesy of Ballston Spa Middle School