Connecting to Tomorrow’s Talent

Mutual learning and innovation were top of the agenda when MacArtney’s US arm spent a weekend in the inspirational company of the underwater technology talent of tomorrow. The event was held at the NASA Johnson Space Center, where the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) astronaut training facility hosted the regional branch of the international student underwater robotics (remotely operated vehicle or ROV) competition co-ordinated by MATE (Marine Advanced Technology Education).

Operating out of the MacArtney Mobile Workshop, technicians assisted the participating highschool and college students, working on their own ROVs, with advice, vehicle repair, cabling and connectivity. The MacArtney technicians were impressed by the scope and complexity of the MATE ROV projects and setups, as of which several might undoubtedly be serious contenders for the 2013 MATE title.

According to MacArtney Inc. president Lars F. Hansen, MacArtney will always give priority to supporting and empowering talented young professionals within the realm of underwater technology.

The MATE ROV Competition

The regional MATE competition, attended and sponsored by MacArtney, is part of an international event, supported by a network of 22 regional contests that take place across the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Scotland, Japan, and Egypt. Student teams from upper elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, home schools, community colleges and universities, participate. The competition consists of three different classes that vary depending on the sophistication of the ROVs and mission requirements.

The MATE competition requires students to think of themselves as entrepreneurs and transform their teams into companies that not only design and engineer, however, manufacture, market, and sell products. The different projects are evaluated by industry professionals who serve as competition judges. By connecting students with employers and professionals from the workplace, the competition also exposes students to ocean-related career opportunities and help them to see the pathways to those careers.

Image: ROV Competition. Image courtesy: NASA.