Local teachers learn about underwater robots in Hydro Lab
3/18/2013
A dozen teachers from area high schools and middle schools learned how to build and test underwater robots in the Hydrosystems Lab as part of a teacher-training workshop.
Written by
Yeh Center
CEE postdoctoral research Blake Landry, left, displays a SeaPerch robot with Katie M. Hutchison, Urbana High School ESL/science teacher.
A dozen teachers from area high schools and middle schools learned how to build and test underwater robots in the Hydrosystems Lab in January as part of a teacher-training workshop on the SeaPerch program. A program of the Office of Naval Research, SeaPerch seeks to encourage Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education through fun, hands-on activities.
“We provided a basic overview for the teachers,” said CEE postdoctoral research associate Blake Landry, who planned and directed the five-hour Saturday workshop on Jan. 26 with the help of six CEE graduate students. "They were really interested and could see great potential in how they could engage their students with this new material."
An internship at the Naval Research Lab gave Landry the idea to utilize the SeaPerch program as a way to encourage engagement with area educators. The January program was a success in several ways, he said, giving teachers an introduction to SeaPerch as well as a chance to interact with graduate students and explore ways to bring cutting-edge University of Illinois research into their classrooms.
Landry and the students guided the teachers through the process of building the remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and taught them to maneuver the ROVs in a water tank in the Hydro Lab. Each teacher was provided with a free SeaPerch kit, courtesy of the Naval Surface Warfare Center - Crane Division. The kits are normally sold for $143 through seaperch.org. The teachers also learned about the SeaPerch curriculum, which covers a variety of STEM-related topics, including buoyancy, propulsion, vectors, ship and submarine design, circuits and switches, depth measurement and biological sampling.
With Landry's help, workshop participants deploy and test the SeaPerch robots in the Hydro Lab's large-scale continental margins tank.
A highlight of the day was the working lunch, in which each graduate student from the Hydro Lab was paired with two teachers to share their laboratory research. Each three-person group brainstormed ways to incorporate the research into secondary classrooms and then shared their results with the group.
“From the lab’s perspective, we wanted to foster a collaborative effort and start building a direct communication pipeline between researchers and area educators,” Landry said.
In addition to Landry, other workshop presenters included: Tina Closser, STEM coordinator, Naval Surface Warfare Center - Crane Division; Lori Richmond, Superintendent, Greencastle School District; Robin Goettel, Associate Director for Education, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant; Terri Hallesy, Education Specialist, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant; and Hydro Lab researchers Matthew Czapiga, Som Dutta, Tatiana Garcia, Viviana Morales, Santiago Santacruz, Juan Quijano and David Waterman.
The SeaPerch robots were also demonstrated at the annual Engineering Open House, which drew more than 2,000 visitors to the Hydrosystems Laboratory. More than 200 middle- and high-school students were able to test their skills piloting the robots in the laboratory’s large continental margins tank. Due to the tank’s clear side walls, the public was able to readily observe the SeaPerch in action and the addition of a waterproof high-resolution tethered camera, developed by Hydro researcher Nils Oberg and affixed to one of the robots, provided a unique underwater perspective.
“Our researchers were excited about Engineering Open House and presenting our research in a way that engages the public,” said Landry. “The SeaPerch robots provided the public with a dynamic hands-on experience that really resonated with them.”
The group has secured funding from the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant to bring some graduate students to the national SeaPerch challenge in Indianapolis in May, and they plan to caravan with any area teachers bringing students.