On Saturday, April 28th the Whitewater Middle School Robotics Club traveled to Northeastern University in Chicago, Illinois to compete in the MATE Regional ROV competition. There, the team had to pass a safety inspection to prove that their robot, also known as an ROV (remotely operated vehicle), was waterproof and safe to go in an aquatic environment. They were also required to display a marketing board which showcased their ROV’s design features and presented their underwater robot to a panel of engineers before taking it to pool. For the competition, the team had two attempts to complete the mission. This year’s theme was “Jet City” and the mission involved using their ROV’s camera to identify a plane crash and recover debris from the site among other things. The WMS Robotics Club has been working really hard since December to prepare for this competition. They encountered several challenges along the way but with teamwork and determination, were able to persevere.

Members of this year’s club are: Aldo Rodriguez, Anisa Dauti, Brett Wicker, Emma Weigel, Cole Schlicher, Keith Cameron, Skylar Staebler, Abby Olson, Jason Briese, Henry Mortimer, Monica Juette, Jack Cohan, and Jeffrey Dean. The club is supervised by Ms. McGowan and Mrs. Weigel.