Another one for the record books! More than 300 students, instructors, mentors, technical assistants, and industry professionals participated in the 2003 event, which took place June 19-21 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Whether they were able to rescue Rusti, the 10-pound negatively buoyant ROV, or recover all of the C-probes, each of the 33 teams demonstrated an amazing amount of technical talent, not to mention teamwork and a sense of cooperation, camaraderie, and professionalism that radiated throughout the event.

Open Class
Which teams did accomplish the competition's primary test - to rescue Rusti from inside a recreation of the Titanic's hull? Lake Superior State University's (Michigan) Robot for Aquatic Development and Research (RADAR), emerged from the Titanic "wreckage" with Rusti in ten minutes, twenty seconds. That performance, along with top honors for their documentation portfolio, earned RADAR first place in the event's Open class.

Monterey (California) Peninsula College's Bot, dubbed MATE-Tricks Reloaded, was a close second, overcoming a failed air compressor and ruptured air bladder (a motorcycle inner tube) to return Rusti in twelve minutes, twenty seconds.

While they were unable to bring Rusti to surface, the combined team from Texas' Galveston College and Ball High School did manage to maneuver the disabled ROV through the "jagged gash" within the twenty-minute time limit, resulting in third place.

12-25 Class
In the 12-25 class (named for its 12-volt, 25-amp limit), the team from Cambridge (Massachusetts) Rindge and Latin High School (CRLS) and the team from White Rock South Surrey (BC, Canada) tied for first place.

The CRLS ROV, Squiggly, recovered all 20 C-probes (scientific data collection devices scattered throughout the two-story Titanic wreckage) in nine minutes, forty-six seconds, which earned them the Fastest Pick-up Award, sponsored by the MTS-New England section. White Rock's Nina Harper ROV, named in honor of a young girl who survived the Titanic disaster, also recovered all 20 probes within the twenty-minute time limit. That performance, combined with top honors for their documentation portfolio, propelled White Rock past third place winner O'Donel (Newfoundland, Canada) High School, which recovered all 20 probes in less time than White Rock, but finished behind them in the portfolio scoring. (Proof positive that good documentation and communication skills are just as important as completing the mission!)

Other Awards
In addition to top honors in each competition class, awards were given in a number of other categories, including Design Innovation (thinking out of the box), Best Poster Display, and Biggest Bang for the Buck, among others.

However, regardless of who won what, each team demonstrated that, through their project reports, interviews with the judges, poster displays, and vehicle performances, they had developed a practical, working knowledge and understanding of many engineering, electrical, mechanical, and even pneumatic principles, as well as a sense of confidence in their abilities. The teams are to be commended for their performances during the competition, as well as for all of the hard work and effort that it took to get them to MIT in the first place.

A Titanic Experience
A private screening of James Cameron's Ghosts of the Abyss, courtesy of Walden Media, the event's presenting sponsor, and presentations by various leaders in the fields of deep sea technology, archaeology, and exploration complemented the event's theme and enriched the entire competition experience for the students.

Martin Bowen, a research associate at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, shared his experience of being the first person to pilot an ROV down the Titanic's grand staircase.

NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration Director Captain Craig McLean, who joined the competition en route to an expedition headed to Titanic, inspired the students to view themselves as the "ocean technologists and explorers of the future."

Martin Klein, a pioneer in the development of sidescan sonar, and Claire Calcagno, visiting scholar with MIT's DeepArch Research Group, provided participants with a look at how technology is allowing us to better explore and document our underwater cultural heritage.

The real measure of the competition's success is hearing the students describe their experience and what participating in the ROV design and building project meant to them. What follows are excerpts from teams' documentation portfolios, which asked the students to describe, in addition to their design rationale and troubleshooting techniques, the challenges, rewards, and lessons learned from the experience.

• "This provided a wealth of real-world knowledge for all of the students and challenged the best of us." -Lake Superior State University
• "The most satisfying experience of this project was getting to know the other team members. It was also satisfying to know that we were working on a project similar to what may be used in the fields of marine engineering and oceanographic science." -Roosevelt High School (California)
• "The most important thing that we've learned is the word team is spelled T-E-A-M. There is no 'I' in team." -Brownsville (Pennsylvania) Area High School
• "We also learned the critical skills needed for life, including problem solving and applying classroom knowledge to real life obstacles, and how to deal with different people's ideas and opinions." -Cranston (Rhode Island) Area Career and Technical Center
• "Teamwork is important. Another lesson learned was that a timeline, with specific goals marked out for each week, is a good method to keep from falling behind." -Monterey Peninsula College
• "The most rewarding part was when I realized how much I had learned since the beginning of the project." -Michael MacIntyre, University of San Diego High School
• "We have acquired many technical skills, such as cutting and shaping PVC, drilling, sanding, and soldering. We also learned how to self-motivate, plan ahead, and discipline ourselves. Surely all of these things will be useful to us throughout our lives." -Mainland Robotics Club (League City, Texas)
• "Most importantly, we learned that patience, determination, and a good sense of humor are the keys to success." -Team Orlando (Florida) Robotics Club
• "This has been the most unique school-related learning experience that I've ever had!" -Tyler Acevedo, Brevard Community College (Florida)