IV > Robotics Team Wins Honors at Philadephia SeaPerch Challenge

Indian Valley Middle School won the highest honors for robot performance in the Greater Philadelphia SeaPerch Challenge at Drexel University on Saturday, March 24, 2012. The robotics team, represented by 15 students, won the award given for the best vehicle performance in the middle school division. By winning first place, Indian Valley has been invited to represent the region at the upcoming National SeaPerch Competition.

Fifty-two student teams from Pennsylvania and New Jersey designed and built robots to accomplish the SeaPerch Challenge created by the United States Navy at the Greater Philadelphia SeaPerch Challenge. Each robot needed to perform an Underwater Salvage mission, lifting inverted buckets from the bottom of the pool with floatation devices. The robot also had to maneuver, under its own power, an obstacle course consisting of large rings oriented in any direction in the pool.  The Indian Valley team's robot, named Leviathan II, was able to complete both challenges with scores better than all of the other middle school robots competing.  The competition also includes a formal presentation to a panel of scientists and engineers and a 20-page notebook detailing the work completed on the robot.  Indian Valley Middle School won trophies for 1st place in overall vehicle performance and 1st place in team spirit and sportsmanship.

Indian Valley Middle School was represented by 15 students. The robotics team has met weekly since October studying engineering principles and learning how to apply them in various robotics projects. The winning team of students presenting at the competition was chosen from over 40 students who attended the after school meetings by creating a high-performing robot and demonstrating superior teamwork. A number of local businesses helped to support the club financially this year.  The students would like to thank Harleysville Books, Eastern Diversified Services, Hayes Inc, Wisler Pearstine, and Jon Evans' Sons for their contributions. The club is coached by Marty Gephart, Chief Information Officer at Hayes Inc located in Lansdale, and Andrew Johnson, a mathematics teacher at the school.  In addition, Doug and Sharon Jones served as parent volunteers, assisting the students during the after school meetings and the competition.

The members of the robotics team at Indian Valley are excited at the opportunity to compete for the second consecutive year at the National SeaPerch Challenge that will be held this year in Manassas, Virginia from April 11th to the 13th. The three-day event will include more competitions and interaction with the engineering community including a special awards ceremony, with over 75 corporate representatives, VIPs, and US Navy and Coast Guard personnel attending the banquet.  Students will visit Lockheed Martin and Micron Technology, along with a robotic demonstration by the FBI's Bomb Squad.