Navy makes donation to Alberton physics class

ALBERTON - Brita Lien attended a science, technology, engineering and mathematics workshop last spring and returned with an idea.

Lien, who is the high school physics teacher at Alberton learned of SeaPerch, a program backed by the United States Naval Academy, which provides students with a robotic submarine kit to build a remote control vehicle. She thought it would be a good way to teach the kids science while doing something fun. 

The SeaPerch Program provides students with the opportunity to learn about robotics, engineering, science, and mathematics while building an underwater vehicle as part of a science and engineering technology curriculum, according to the U.S. Naval Academy website. 

The U.S. Navy estimates the United States has fallen from third to seventeenth in the world with the number of college graduates in engineering programs. In the U.S., only five percent of science degrees are awarded in engineering, compared with 50 percent in China. It is also estimated that 400,000 engineers will be needed in the future. 

Throughout the project, students learned engineering concepts, problem solving, teamwork and technical applications.

“I came back this fall and knew I wanted to build this kit,” Lien said. “Kits are quite expensive, and the Navy was kind enough to give us four.”

Each kit costs about $170, however, since Alberton was awarded theirs for free, students have to work in groups since there isn’t one available for each student.

Not only did Lien’s class have to assemble the SeaPerch, which required everyone to participate, the class also had to do assignments about the history and usefulness of submarines. 

“Students had to solder and drill the frame,” Lien said. 

Attaching the control box to the vehicle was the most challenging part of the project. The box was foreign to the students because for some, it was the first time they had to read a circuit board and learn to solder the components. The submarine powers itself off of 12-volt batteries. 

“I think the students learned a lot, it was a great way to talk about buoyancy and electricity,” Lien said.

The project was a success and on May 1 students got to see the SeaPerch in action.

“Last week we took them out for our first submersion in Frenchtown pond,” Lien said.

One of the most important aspects of SeaPerch, and one that differentiates it from similar programs, is that it includes two methods of training for teachers. The instructor can either choose an online video training module or on-site training. The on-site training is offered in several locations at set times throughout the year. 

Lien completed the on-site training at the STEM workshop.

The Navy provides SeaPerch as a way to train the next generation of scientists and engineers. 

The belief of the Navy is that many new jobs will require a basic understanding of math and science because of advances in technology.

By offering a broad range of STEM education and outreach programs, the Navy wants to improve the decreasing college enrollments in science and engineering. 

Although fun, the assembly of the sub is for educational purposes only. 

“This project was entirely within our curriculum in physics,” Lien said.