Navy RTC Volunteers Support STEM Based SeaPerch Competition
by U.S. Navy Alan Nunn, Recruit Training Command
March 21, 2023

More than 40 U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command (RTC) volunteers lent their expertise in support of the seventh annual Great Lakes SeaPerch Regional Competition on March 18, 2023 at Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois.

The SeaPerch Program provides students with the opportunity to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as robotics while building and operating an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Throughout the project, students learn engineering concepts, problem-solving, teamwork and technical applications.

These concepts are critical in developing the future of the Navy.

Event partners National Museum of the American Sailor (NMAS) and Navy League hosted the event.

RTC staff volunteers served in a variety of roles, including event setup and take down, check-in tables, competition judges, divers, traffic monitors, escorts, and ROV triage.

Electronics Technician (Navigation) 1st Class Phillip Seng was among the 41 RTC staff volunteers at the event. Working at the triage table, Seng and other Sailors assisted student teams with circuit boards, electrical wiring, structural integrity, propellers and other ROV issues.

“Some of the triage we had were simple fixes, some propellers were falling off, one of the motors wasn’t working,” said Seng, a seven-year Navy veteran from Cincinnati who is a Recruit Division Commander “C” School instructor. “We’ve done some soldering and a lot of super gluing zip ties. It’s all in our backgrounds from being on ships. It feels like I’m back underway fixing IT equipment.”

Seng welcomed the opportunity to volunteer in a community event. For many of the 136 students and 60 advisors representing 40 schools, it was their first chance to interact with Sailors on a personal level.

“I would hope they can look up to us and see a level of success and realize the opportunities are there and they can achieve what they want to do,” said Seng. “When the kids see us in these STEM positions they feel they can achieve those dreams.”

RTC SeaPerch Coordinator Lt. Emmett Whalen said this regional competition would not have been possible without the volunteer Sailors.

“The RTC volunteers are crucial to the SeaPerch program,” he said. “The Sailors have a wide range of skills and knowledge and they’re able to help repair ROVs and provide technical assistance. It’s an opportunity for the kids to socialize and interact with active duty Sailors, grow their interest in STEM and the Navy.”

The U.S. faces a shortage in STEM graduates that may result in a lack of expertise within mission-critical areas. In this backdrop, SeaPerch has grown from its infant stages at Massachusetts Institute of Technology into a national K-12 STEM Outreach Program with backing from The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME).

RTC recognizes its global competitiveness lies within the students who will be the scientists and engineers of the future, and strongly believes in sharing the responsibility of developing these students with the community in which they reside.

The SeaPerch competition included two in-pool components: an obstacle course and a challenge course. The inspiration for this year’s challenge is ocean exploration.

Student teams were required to navigate both vertically and horizontally through a series of underwater hoops, map an area, remove objects representing marine life from an underwater station, and retrieve samples in an underwater environment.

Brittany Chase, a science teacher and STEM advisor at Mahone Middle School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, said her students appreciated the one-on-one assistance RTC volunteers provided.

“These are hands-on experiences students can potentially take into their future career paths. They really enjoy coming here and talking with the Navy volunteers, who have a high level of experience and expertise and the students really enjoy getting advice and tips from them.”

Boot camp is approximately 10 weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes five warfighting competencies of firefighting, damage control, seamanship, watchstanding, and small arms handling and marksmanship along with physical fitness and lessons in Navy heritage and core values, Warrior Toughness, Life Skills, teamwork and discipline.

More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp.

Recruit Training Command | U.S. Navy | U.S. Navy Gifts | U.S. Department of Defense

Our Valiant Troops | I Am The One | Veterans | Citizens Like Us