Georgetown Prep's robotics team, Hoya Robotics, will host a regional underwater robotics competition and collaborative workshop on Saturday, March 11. The event, co-sponsored by the United States Naval Academy's STEM program, the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Foundation, and the Naval Surface Laboratories, will feature several local high school robotics teams.
The teams will design and create "Remotely Operated Vehicles" (ROV) from the SeaPerch kits. The competition is an opportunity for teams to collaborate and practice before the SeaPerch regional championship at the United States Naval Academy on April 8.
The Hoya Robotics team, celebrating its fourth year, won the 2014 SeaPerch Challenge hosted by the United States Naval Academy, and advanced to compete in the National Championship at the University of Southern Mississippi. Last year, the team hosted regional robotics competition where hundreds of area high school students participated.
The underwater collaborative workshop will begin at 3:00 p.m. in the Haas Humanities Building's Figge Foyer. NAVSEA will have engineers on hand to mentor and assist with the workshop. At 5:30 p.m. Georgetown Prep's Headmaster, Mr. John Glennon Jr., and Dr. John Balbach, moderator of the Hoya Robotics and member of Prep's science faculty, will give the event's welcome remarks.
At 6:00 p.m., the participating teams will begin their underwater robotics competition in the Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence's aquatic center.
The event is open to the public and free of admission.