International ROV Competition a Success
The 2007 MATE International ROV competition, organised by the MATE Center and hosted by the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MI) and the National Research Council's Institute for Ocean Technology (IOT), was a splashing success! The event was held from 22 to 24 June. Each of the 41 competing teams, representing Canada, the U.S, Spain, Scotland, Iran and Hong Kong, put a lot of time, energy, and effort into their vehicles, technical reports, poster displays, and engineering presentations.
Two teams from Newfoundland and Labrador, Heritage Collegiate from Lethbridge and Eastern Edge Robotics from St. John's, placed second overall in the Ranger and Explorer classes. The Eastern Edge Robotics team from the Marine Institute, Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic, also won for Best Poster and team member, Justin Higdon, was named Engineering MVP. Carbonear Collegiate took home the Sharkpedo Award for most innovative tool.
"We were honoured that the MATE Center chose to hold this competition at the Marine Institute and the Institute for Ocean Technology. The facilities were have to offer are truly world class and we were extremely proud to showcase them to a global audience," said Glenn Blackwood, executive director with the Marine Institute.
The awards were presented at the Delta Hotel on June 24. The competition winners are as follows:
Ranger Class
- 1st place overall - Cornerstone Academy, Gainsville, Florida
- 2nd place overall- Heritage Collegiate, Lethbridge, Newfoundland and Labrador
- 3rd Place overall - Flower Mound High School, Flower Mound, Texas
- Design Elegance Award - Falmouth Academy, Falmouth, MA
- Technical Report Award - Inuksuk High School, Iqualuit, NU
- Poster Award - California Academy of Math and Science, Carson, CA
- Aloha Team Spirit Award - The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland
- Rookie of the Year - Cornerstone Academy, Gainesville, FL
- Engineering Evaluation Top Score - Tie: Cornerstone Academy, Gainesville, FL & Great Lakes Home School, Wolverine, MI
Explorer Class
- 1st place overall - Jesuit High School, Carmichael, California
- 2nd place overall - Eastern Edge Robotics, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
- 3rd place overall - British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, BC
- Design Elegance Award- University of Victoria, Victoria, BC
- Technical Report Award - St. George's School, Vancouver, BC
- Poster Award - Eastern Edge Robotics, St. John's, NL
- Aloha Team Spirit Award - Long Beach City College, Long Beach, CA
- Rookie of the Year - British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, BC
- Engineering Evaluation Top Score - St. George's School, Vancouver, BC
The event was deemed a success by everyone involved. It gave the teams an opportunity to experience different cultures, interact with students who have similar interests and passions and compete in world class facilities.
