National Student Robotics Competition Based on Ghosts of the Abyss to Be Staged in Cambridge MA
June 2, 2003
CAMBRIDGE, MA - Students from across the U.S. and Canada will gather at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA on June 19-21 to pilot remotely-operated underwater vehicles they have designed and built based on James Cameron's new 3D film GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS from Walt Disney Pictures in association with Walden Media. These students from high schools, home schools, community colleges and universities are participating in the Second Annual National Student ROV Competition, organized by the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center and the Marine Technology Society's (MTS) ROV Committee. The competition's presenting sponsor is Walden Media, producers of GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS.
GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS, the creation of Academy Award®-winning director and master storyteller James Cameron, journeys back to the site of his greatest inspiration—the legendary wreck of the Titanic. Accompanied by a team of the world's foremost historic and marine experts and his friend actor Bill Paxton, Cameron embarks on an unscripted adventure back to the final grave where nearly 1,500 souls lost their lives almost a century ago. Students participating in the June competition are tasked with underwater missions based on explorations conducted in the film by the revolutionary remotely-operated vehicles "Jake" and "Elwood," which were created specifically for the expedition. These vehicles traveled through virtually all of the wreck, and, with their built-in video cameras, captured images of artifacts unseen for more than ninety years.
Thirty-five teams representing hundreds of students, teachers, industry mentors, and technical assistants are scheduled to take part in the June event. The vehicles will be judged by a panel of experts, based on criteria such as technical merit, craftsmanship, innovation, and safety. Students will also present poster displays and project reports describing their vehicles and the design and building process. Competitors will take on underwater mission challenges, including the rescue of a "disabled" ROV trapped inside a mock-up of the Titanic, and recovering "scientific data collection devices" called C-probes, located within another two-story mock-up of the wreckage.
The competition promotes the development of technical, engineering, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills. "The competition also connects students and educators with marine employers and technology professionals, facilitating powerful interactions where students take charge of their learning and build upon their knowledge and skill base," says Jill Zande, the MATE Center's Outreach Director and the competition's coordinator. "In addition, the competition increases students' awareness of marine technical fields, employers, and career opportunities, allowing them to make better informed decisions about their future."
"Walden Media is proud to partner with the MATE center to hold this competition," says Micheal Flaherty, President of Walden Media. "The National Student ROV Competition helps students get excited about math, science, and engineering, and underscores our commitment to helping students find exciting and unusual ways to stretch their learning far beyond traditional textbooks."
Several student teams taking part in the June 19-21 competition will have already been declared winners at one of three regional competitions taking place around North America this spring. A regional competition took place at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School in Cambridge Massachusetts on April 23. A competition in eastern Texas, organized by Alvin Community College in Alvin, Texas was held at the Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Lab on May 17. The third regional competition, organized by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, California, took place at Mount Carmel High School in San Diego, California on May 18.
For more information about the competition, please visit: www.marinetech.org/rov_competition/national_rov_comp_2003.php
