2023 SeaPerch Challenge
Take the plunge & compete!
Ocean explorers use innovative technologies to fill gaps in our basic understanding of how we impact the ocean and how the ocean impacts us. This knowledge helps us to protect ocean health, sustainably manage our marine resources, accelerate our national economy, better understand our changing environment, and enhance our appreciation of the importance of the ocean in our everyday lives. The 2023 SeaPerch Challenge is inspired by these technologies.
Date: March 25, 2023
Tentative Times:
9-11 am: High School Competition
12-4 pm: Middle & Elementary Competition
Location: Jenks Trojan Aquatic Center
This is the Region 7 qualifying competition for the National SeaPerch Challenge.
K12 students from all over the region are invited to build remote-controlled, underwater robots. On the day of the competition, the students will guide their robots through a series of challenges. These challenges will test the design of the robots, as well as the skill of the students. The competition is strong, but the fun is stronger.
Registration Deadline: February 19, 2023
Register
About
SeaPerch is a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), a competition, and a community. Our program guides students on building an underwater robot while supplying educators with the tools and training to help them through the process.
SeaPerch is a great project for clubs and at-home use as well. Although SeaPerch was initially designed for traditional learning environments, it makes an excellent project for outside the classroom as well.
Don’t worry mom and dad, you can get in on the action too. We have resources specifically designed to work in a variety of environments, including at home.
We’re here to help! Learn more and reach out if you have specific questions.
Grant
Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance is able to offer a limited number of SeaPerch and Tool kit grants to educators in an in-school or out-of-school setting. As a condition of this grant, all recipients will be required to bring at least one student team to the competition.
Application Deadline: Extended to January 31, 2023
Applicants will be notified on a rolling basis while funds last.
Apply
Competition Elements
Pool Events
Navigate your SeaPerch ROV through an obstacle course and a mission course including a series of tasks, and test its speed. Score points for time and successful task completion.
The Obstacle Course tests high-speed maneuverability and requires the SeaPerch ROV to navigate the course as quickly as possible.
The Mission Course incorporates a mission related to Ocean Exploration. Teams will lead an exploration effort including mapping an area, removing marine life from an underwater station, and retrieving samples in an underwater environment.
In the Speed competition, teams race against the clock to see how quickly they can navigate their SeaPerch from one end of the pool to the other.
2023 Pool Courses Overview & Preliminary Rules
Judges’ Interview
Teams will have a 5-minute interview with a Judge where they’ll present their team and answer questions relevant to their SeaPerch season.
Students should be prepared to describe the intentional design process they completed for their SeaPerch ROV and their team’s approach to developing this design.
Why SeaPerch
Curiosity, creativity, and a desire to understand the world around us are traits that come naturally to kids. They also happen to be great attributes for STEM professionals. Learning technical content and skills is vitally important. When this learning is tangible and connected to the real world, the impacts can be profound.
SeaPerch aims to reduce traditional barriers to participation in robotics programs and promotes opportunities to engage students and educators in inquiry-based learning with real-world applications. As an educational program, SeaPerch introduces students to basic engineering, design, and science concepts. As a fun hands-on project, SeaPerch engages students and fosters key 21st-century skills including critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
Beyond the experience of building an underwater ROV, SeaPerch provides a supportive ecosystem of students, educators, mentors, and advocates to provide support along the way. Whether you are looking for a fun project at home, an educational program to enhance your classroom curriculum, or a group of people who enjoy tinkering, SeaPerch is for you.
Interested in volunteering? It takes dozens of community volunteers to make this event possible! Sign up to be a judge or support volunteer. We’ll provide onsite training and all the materials you’ll need.
Shift 1: 8:30-11am | High School Competition
Shift 2: 11:30am-4pm | Elementary & Middle School Competition
Qualifications:
✔️ Register with TRSA and complete a background check
✔️ Be 18+ or have an adult chaperone (who is registered)
✔️ Be encouraging and supportive of STEM pathways for students
✔️ Willingness to engage students in positive and age-appropriate ways
Already a TRSA volunteer? Sign up through our portal. New to volunteering? Register through our system and complete a background check. Learn more about volunteering with TRSA here.
Volunteer Application
