By Yesenia Garcia
All senior NJROTC cadets were challenged to build an underwater remotely operated vehicle otherwise known as Sea Perch. Sea Perch is a project where students are able to engage in hands on education and have the ability to learn about robotics as well as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This project is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) which is managed by The AUVSI Foundation.
This is the third year that Petty Officer Nuyen has taken this project upon himself and all 112 senior cadets. Each group was made up of about 3-4 students and they were given the option to use the classic Sea Perch design or freelance to create their own original design.
Seniors learn about neutral buoyancy, dc electricity, simple dc motors, electrical diagrams, and working together to complete a project. The goal requirement is to have the vehicle float, go underwater using motors and be able to resurface.
Mr. Nuyen challenged every group to create a freelance design and be able to create something unique while keeping in mind that each ROV (remotely operated vehicle) needs at least one floaty and three motors.
Each student was able to solder their own control box that moves the ROV. Soldering is connecting two or more objects together by melting metal. They also had to connect their motors as well as fill them with wax and decide where to mount them.
This project has always been a challenge, because for many seniors this is the first time they have created something like this, while learning about buoyancy and electricity. These cadets have worked on this project all year long a couple of days each week. Building a ROV is plenty exciting, but the true excitement comes from testing it and seeing if it actually works.
Petty Officer Nuyen along with the help of some teachers took the senior cadets to Third Ward Park on June 1. Each group placed their creations into the water and was challenged to submerge it to see if they could achieve propulsion underwater. At the end of this day many students were awed by the fact that something they created actually worked.
Petty Officer Nuyen uses this project as a way for students to get hands on experience as well as explore careers in fields that they may have never even considered. Sea Perch was a success, now in its third year, and it will hopefully be back again next year.
