Seven Prince William County robotics teams win regional SeaPerch Challenge

SeaPerch teams from Gar-Field, Patriot, Stonewall Jackson, and Woodbridge High Schools were winners in the Northern Virginia SeaPerch Challenge.

These teams have earned a spot at the national tournament where more than 150 teams are expected to compete in a juried poster competition and in-pool technical events with their SeaPerch ROVs.

Winning teams and members are:
• Gar-Field High School BBFL team Brian Mendez and Tuan Nguyen.

• Gar-Field High School Flounder team; Diego Maravilla, Aliya Barney, Branden Curtis, Melanie Ung, and Andy Torres.

• Patriot High School Sea Biscuit team; Ryan Miller, Alexander Chavez, Matthew Trang, and Jarrett Lash.

• Patriot High School Aqua Blue; Elijah Safadi and Taylor Sullivan.

• Stonewall Jackson High School Nautical Knuckleads; Daniel Grant, Hunter LeClair, Greg Klatt, and Luke Goodson.

• Stonewall Jackson High School Waterboyz; Michael Pierce, Marus Haughton, Zohn Collier, and Eze Price.

And • Woodbridge High School Salvage Seekers; Adam Filali, Elizabeth Dion, Anders Hanson, and Elan Campbell.

Team members are among the many students enrolled in Foundations of Technology courses across PWCS who engineered underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to complete several underwater challenges.

SeaPerch is one of the seven types of robotics programs currently in PWCS that have flourished thanks to active and engaged community business partners such as Lockheed Martin and Micron.

“Lockheed Martin is committed to programs that educate and inspire tomorrow’s scientists, engineers and mathematicians,” Michele Evans, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training vice president, was quoted as saying in a press release. “We know firsthand the importance of educating our youth in these areas. Our future success – and our nation’s technological advantage – depend on highly trained, highly capable technical talent.”

Zuzana Steen, Micron University and Academic Relations Manager. was quoted as saying, “Micron and the Micron Foundation are pleased to support SeaPerch robotics in order to spark interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Micron team members use STEM skills every day, from the scientists and engineers who design our memory chips to our technicians who manufacture them. More than a dozen Micron team members are excited to volunteer as judges and referees at a local SeaPerch competition every year.”