Robotics Team Competes for National Awards in Maryland

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Skylina Gila River

Nine students from Skyline Gila River put its name on the map and to a high standard after competing for the first time ever in the 2024 International SeaPerch Challenge, held May 31 to June 1 at the University of Maryland-College Park. 

This is unprecedented for the Gila River Indian Community and is the first time the Community has been in this International Challenge, an opportunity these students have been eagerly working on for months.

SeaPerch is a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), a competition, and a community. The program guides students on building underwater robots while providing educators with tools and training to assist them in the process.

In April, these students qualified to compete in SeaPerch after excelling in performance and winning first place in the High School division and second place in Middle School division at the ‘I Rise Foundation’ Regional in Chandler, Ariz.

The team also demonstrated itself to be the fastest team in the pool, granting them a spot in the SeaPerch International Challenge.

SeaPerch coordinators informed us that they are the first all-Native American team to compete in the event. The SeaPerch program at Skyline Gila River began last year as a class project. However, this is the first year that students get the opportunity to compete regionally and internationally.

At the 2024 International SeaPerch Challege, students complete two tasks: one on land, and one in the pool. On land, teams show off their engineering skills through technical papers and presentations. In the pool, they navigate their SeaPerch ROV through a series of obstacles inspired by the real world that tests maneuverability, control, and utility.

The team learned from the best of the world. They practiced their networking skills by connecting with competitors from Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Macau, China, Egypt, New Zealand, UAE, and from other US states.

They are currently working on a Real-World Innovation Project relevant to GRIC. The team learned about Governor Lewis’ vision of water settlement in the Community and the importance of water storage and riparian ecosystem restoration along the Gila River, serving as an example of community resilience and autonomy.

This innovation project challenges teams to explore real-world applications for underwater ROVs and invites them to identify a real-world issue and design a SeaPerch ROV to address it.