Back in March, at the gymnasium pool of Roberto Clemente High School, there was a race to the finish as our SeaPerch program participants showed off what their constructed underwater Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) could do! The participants, which hailed from all of our clubs, were divided into teams to assemble their own ROVs with guidance from mentors. On Friday, March 15th the teams met to put their carefully built creations to the test!
The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, but the competition was still HOT. After maneuvering their ROVs through an underwater obstacle course while being timed, two teams – both from our Club One – came out on top, claiming 1st and 2nd place.
They went on to compete in a regional tournament at the US Naval Base, Great Lakes on Saturday, April 6th. There, competing against 60 teams, our very own team Argonauts won 2nd place! We are very happy for and proud of team Argonauts’ great achievement.
This is a clear reflection of the impact our programs are having on our club members and we are determined to keep the successes coming!
The SeaPearch program is an innovative nationwide naval based underwater robotics program that equips youth with the resources they need to build ROVs. It ends with the underwater race as a fun celebration of the participants’ hard work. This past competition was our second such event, teaching participants value technological and engineering skills. At the Union League Boys & Girls Club, we understand the value of STEM education. Our STEM programs, which included the SeaPerch initiative, starting last year, are critical for fulfilling our mission and helping our youth develop skills to become the leaders of tomorrow.
We thank our SeaPerch mentors for helping make this possible, WGN for joining and covering our ULBGC competition at Roberto Clemente High School, and all those who cheered on our participants.
We congratulate team Argonauts for placing second regionally, and commend all our participants on a job well done! It is a great demonstration that once given the resources, our youth do incredible things with them, which is why we are so committed to the work that we do. Build an underwater robot today, and who knows what achievements are ahead for tomorrow!
To learn more about the SeaPerch program, contact AJ at aj@ulbgc.org. You can also watch the following videos and coverage of the race.
https://wgntv.com/2019/03/15/chicago-students-design-build-underwater-robotic-vehicles/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epztkSEKiL4&feature=youtu.be