Students to “Dabble in” Ocean Robotics

Building on two years of successful programs within Bermuda’s schools, including professional development workshops for teachers and an annual design and piloting challenge for students, the BIOS Mid-Atlantic Robotics IN Education (MARINE) initiative recently announced a new partnership with the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI).

As part of BUEI’s “Dabble in” series geared for ages 7 to 13, BIOS is bringing its expertise in underwater robotics technology and education to co-host a “Dabble in Ocean Robotics” camp during this month’s winter break. For five days beginning December 19, campers will investigate how and why scientists use remotely operated vehicles (or ROVs) in deep-sea exploration before embarking on a mission to design, build and test their own working robots.

“We’re excited to be partnering with BUEI to extend the MARINE experience to new age groups and to continue engaging Bermudian students in the engineering design process,” said Kaitlin Baird, an ocean science educator at BIOS.

The program, already fully registered, will be held at BUEI. On the last day, participants will have the opportunity to “fly” their robots in the pool at the Bermuda National Sports Centre Aquatic Facility.

“BUEI is pleased to partner with BIOS and continue evolving our popular camp series, which has been running now for 19 years,” said BUEI education coordinator Crystal Schultz. “We are always looking for new and unique ways to collaborate with other non-profits and look forward to future collaborations with BIOS.”

MARINE is a core program in BIOS’s Ocean Academy. As a multi-year design and engineering program, MARINE supports and enhances science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education within Bermuda’s classrooms. For more information on MARINE please visit www.bios.edu/education/marine.