On Friday, May 4th, Washington Middle School's underwater robotics team, Tyrannus Inc, began their journey to Dauphin Island, AL to compete in the MATE Northern Gulf Coast Regional ROV Competition.
The following day, team members Cecile Cerisier, Rashell Austin, William Obiozo, Kailey Gardner, and Zechariah Stanley traveled to Bishop State Community College in Mobile, AL for the in-pool demonstration of their ROV, Kronos I. On Sunday, team members gave a 10-minute ROV engineering presentation in front of a panel of judges and over 100 audience members.
Overall, Tyrannus Inc placed 6th besting seven other Scout class teams (total of 13 Scout class teams, 8 Navigator class teams, and 1 Ranger class team). Although they didn't place in the top three, only 13 points separated the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th place teams! The WMS team's presentation score was tied for 3rd highest and their marketing display tied for 2nd highest score.
In the end, the team's dedication paid off as Tyrannus Inc received a specialty award in recognition of the team's commitment to the educational mission of the competition. Dr. Tina Miller-Way, Chair of the Discovery Hall Programs at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, came to the team's mentor, Mr. Herren, and said that they were amazed by our students' dedication and commitment level.
After the awards ceremony, the team went to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Estuarium and spent time viewing sea creatures, petting sting rays and horseshoe crabs, and learning some marine biology. In the end, the team learned a lot, was recognized for their accomplishments, and had fun! Great job, Tyrannus!
https://www.disl.org/about/news/dedication-innovation-annual-rov-comp-2018
