Hawai'i teachers got their first look at robots that will help them teach marine biology and engineering skills in the classroom.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology experts introduced the underwater remote-controlled vehicle, called a Sea Perch, to local educators for use in Hawaii's pre-college classrooms. MIT Sea Grant showcased the Sea Perch at the Waikalua Loko Fishpond in Kane'ohe last Wednesday and Thursday.
"I think the workshop was very successful," said Dr. Darren Okimoto, the Hawai'i contact for the Sea Perch program. "The teachers were tentative at first because some of them never built anything before."
The next step, Okimoto said, is to work with the department of education to "make sure the Sea Perch curriculum is aligned with the Hawai'i (teaching) standards."
Okimoto, who works for the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program, said, "It is critical to more effectively recruit students from varying backgrounds into marine science, technology and engineering careers. This hands-on project encourages students to explore the wide range of opportunities that are available in these fields."
MIT's Sea Grant College Program, which developed the Sea Perch, is funded by the Office for Naval Research. The program's Web site, web.mit.edu/seagrant/edu/seaperch, says it is part of the National Naval Responsibility Initiative that "focuses on bringing academia, government and industry to work together to ensure that the talent needed to design the Navy's next generation of ships and submarines will be there when needed."
Maggie Loftus, an MIT Sea Grant Program staff member training teachers in Hawai'i, has worked with the Sea Perch program since she was an MIT freshman five years ago. "We've seen a lot of success, all of the teachers always find it a lot of fun," Loftus said. "We are really looking forward to make this hands-on project help make technology and engineering more accessible."
Students in the program have the opportunity to learn engineering skills such as building underwater robots, propulsion systems and controllers as well as how to study weight and buoyancy, the Sea Perch Web site says. The adaptability of remotely operated vehicles in aquatic environments also makes possible student research projects in locations that normally requite scuba gear to be reached.
The Sea Perches, which cost about $50 to build, are constructed of PVC pipes and other materials found in local hardware stores. The ROV then serves as a transport vehicle for various data gathering equipment. Equipment such as plankton nets, underwater video cameras and water quality managing devices are attached to the Sea Perch to help students probe underwater environments, such as fishponds or over coral reefs.
Loftus added that the Sea Perch program is beneficial to the cultural and environmental curriculum of the Pacific American Foundation, a national organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who trace their ancestry back to the Pacific Islands. "Our goal in Hawai'i is to see if we can help develop the fish pond curriculum further by using Sea Perches and adding a more technology-and-engineering component to that curriculum.
At the end of the day, with the robots built, the teachers were excited to finally get to test it, Okimoto said. "There is a very high excitement level from the teachers. We need to support that so that they can actually take it and use it in the classroom. We have to follow up with them to make sure that does happen."
To bring Sea Perches to Hawai'i, UH Sea Grant joined forces with MIT Sea Grant, the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, the Hawai'i Department of Education, the Waikalua Loko Fishpond Preservation Society and the Pacific American Foundation.Recommended: Articles that may interest you








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