Nimitz High School Robotics Team on Top of the World

The team from Aldine ISD finished in the top 5 percent of the international competition.

The international teams compete in the Offshore Engineering Basins known as the “wave tank.” The Nimitz HS team is in the first deck to the right. Students work to launch their robot.

Members of [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Nimitz High School‘s underwater robotics team showed their skills. The team competed at a prestigious international competition this summer in northeast Canada.

The Cougars competed at the 14th Annual [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) International ROV Competition. The acronym “ROV” stands for remotely operated vehicles. The team advanced to the international event [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]after winning first place at the regional competition held in Texas. The team competed against teams from around the world, including Canada, Germany, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore and the U.S.

The competition is a way to engage students in the STEM fields. The acronym stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

More than 600 teams took part in the competition. But only a small percent of teams advanced to the international competition. The Nimitz team was among the top 5 percent to advance. The international competition took place June 25-27 in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Nimitz HS’ “Renegator” robot performs pipeline maintenance and repair at the flume tank.

Nimitz’s “Regenator” team placed 26th in the Ranger Division. The division included high school and university teams. The Nimitz team bested teams from the University of Texas and the Singapore American School. The team also outscored a highly selective preparatory school in the northeast.

A total of 65 teams competed at the international event. Thirty-one teams competed in the Explorer Division and 34 in the Ranger Division.

The Ranger Division competition took place at two locations. A part of the event was held at the Marine Institute (MI) of Memorial University. The National Research Council’s Ocean, Coastal, and River Engineering (OCRE) facility was also used.

Every year, the competition has a theme. This year students focused on the role ROVs play in scientific research and the offshore oil industry in the Arctic. Students had to create ROVs that could work in this is extreme environment. During the competition, judges required the robots to complete underwater missions. Tasks included piloting under an ice sheet to take ocean-life samples. In other challenges, the team checked and conducted pipeline repairs. At one point in the event, the team’s ROV had to contend with strong underwater currents.

Students also had to contend with the added features provided to make the missions more complex. These included MI’s flume tank and OCRE’s ice tank and offshore engineering basins tank. The temperature inside the ice tank registered at -17º Celsius or one degree below zero Fahrenheit.

The Nimitz HS team members undergo an engineering evaluation. This is the team’s sales presentation to a panel of judges. The green teammate is Allen Wrench, the group’s mascot.

The MATE competition requires students to think of themselves as “entrepreneurs.” They must transform their teams into companies that manufacture, market, and sell “products.” Besides engineering their ROVs, the students must prepare technical reports and engineering presentations. They deliver these to working professionals who serve as competition judges.

The panel of judges included professionals from Boeing, Schilling Robotics, and Subaru Telescope. Professionals from Shell, SSFM International, C-Innovation, NASA and many universities also served as judges.

Creating a durable underwater ROV is difficult said Alcmene Gónzalez. She served as captain of the team. Alcmene graduated in the spring with the Class of 2015. The high school graduate intends to pursue a degree in international relations.

“You have to ensure sensor data travels from the vehicle to pilots on the surface,” said Alcmene. “You also have to ensure the robot’s electronics stay dry. You want everything to work perfectly.”

Students work inside the ice tank. Here temperatures registered below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Students had to contend with cold temperatures and visibility problems to perform the missions.

Emanuel Sánchez enjoys collaborating with teammates.

“We work together to conceive, design and build a robot,” said Emanuel. “Everyone on the team has his or her unique talent or skill or knowledge to bring to the table. You have to work together to build the best robot possible to compete. The event is challenging, but it really is a lot of fun.“

The [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Nimitz team is under the guidance of David Ericson. He serves as the engineering and robotics instructor at the campus.

“This competition is technically challenging,” said Ericson. “This event is more than just about the robot. The experience also teaches students the importance of teamwork. They also learn program management, technical writing, salesmanship, public speaking, and attention to detail. These are lifelong skills these young men and women will need to succeed in the workplace.“

Nimitz Robotics Team

Solomon Akande
Christian Castro
Nick Fogarty
Maurice Gilbert
Alcmene González
Theo Mallet
Malcolm McGee
Gregory Montelongo
Clavia Ntasin (Nimitz Ninth Grade School)
Kenneth Omoruyi
Jesús Rangel
Víctor Rivas
Emanuel Sánchez
Rafael Soto
Derrick Tchety
Elisa Tyler
Rubén Valdillez

Ericson also praised the district’s leaders and the Career and Technical Education Department. The CTE Department supports the robotics program at Nimitz High School.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the students,” said Ericson. “They worked hard to get to the international event. I also appreciate the support district leaders give our students. Events like MATE give our students a chance to showcase their skills and give them a real-world experience.“

The Nimitz HS robotics team enjoyed their time at Memorial University. Víctor Rivas, Rubén Valdillez, Derrick Tchety, Alcmene González, Gregory Montelongo and Christian Castro (back row, l-r) joined Rafael Soto and Emanuel Sánchez (front row, l-r) for a picture.