MATE ROV Competition

https://materovcompetition.org/

UPDATE - MATE ROV Competition - COVID-19/Corona Virus

March 13, 2020

Dear MATE ROV Competition Community – students, mentors, parents, judges, and volunteers,

After careful consideration of the actions and recommendations of national and international health authorities and other governmental entities, as well as feedback from a number of members from the MATE II Community, the MATE II Board has made the decision to cancel all 2020 MATE ROV Competition events, including U.S. and international regionals and the MATE World Championship. Given the fluid situation and spread of the novel corona virus (COVID-19), we feel that this decision is in the best interest of the health and safety of the MATE competition community world-wide. It was not an easy decision, but one that is aligned with the “social responsibility” of this year’s theme.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR REGIONAL EVENT?

Again, ALL events are cancelled and registration is now closed.

WILL MATE ISSUE REFUNDS TO TEAMS?

Yes, we are working through that process with ACTIVE and will communicate details to you by March 25th.

STUDENTS HAVE BEEN WORKING SO HARD - HOW CAN WE RECOGNIZE THEM FOR THEIR EFFORTS?

We agree and know that this is disappointing and emotionally difficult news; in this anxious time we know many are aching for some sense of normalcy. However, health and safety overwhelm all other issues. We thank you in advance for your patience as we brainstorm ideas and evaluate them against one another, just as we ask you to do when designing and building your ROV.

WILL THE THEME/MISSION TASKS CHANGE NEXT YEAR?

We do not anticipate changing the theme or mission tasks for 2021 at present, but will announce next year’s missions consistent with our usual schedule (September 2020).

WILL THE 2021 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STILL BE HELD AT VILLANOVA?

That has yet to be determined.

Again, this was not an easy decision. We remain committed to this year’s tagline: EXCITE, EDUCATE, and EMPOWER students to engineer solutions to global problems. We will continue to inspire, challenge, and grow our global community of learners, all the while mindful of its health and safety.

We realize that you likely have additional questions. Please bear with us as we continue to work through the situation. We’ll have additional information and updates out to the community ASAP.

Thank you!

Jill Zande

MATE II President/Executive Director

MATE Center Associate Director

Immerse yourself in ocean science and exploration through our MATE remotely operated vehicle (ROV) competition! K12 through university level teams build tools designed for remote sensing, collecting and observing of subsea habitats to solve real-world ocean challenges in a simulated mission competition. Innovation and entrepreneurial development is showcased through product demonstrations, marketing displays and engineering interviews with the top regional team moving up to compete in the MATE ROV World Championship.

2020 MATE Mission Challenge: Who Cares Wins

SCOUT-class ROV tasks

THE UBIQUITOUS PROBLEM OF PLASTIC POLLUTION

  • Disconnect the power to a Seabin
  • Replace an old mesh catch bag on the Seabin with a new one
  • Reconnect the power to a Seabin
  • Remove floating plastic debris from the surface
  • Remove a ghost net from midwater
  • Remove plastic debris from the bottom

THE CATASTROPHIC IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON CORAL REEFS

  • Fly a transect line over a coral reef
  • Remove coral fragments from the nursery structure
  • Outplant coral fragments into the reef
  • Cull an outbreak of Crown of Thorn sea stars
  • Collect samples of sponge species for pharmaceutical research

MAINTAINING HEALTHY WATERWAYS PART II: DELAWARE RIVER AND BAY

  • Return a sediment sample to the surface
  • Determine the type of contaminant present in the sediment sample
  • Retrieve a sample of mussels and estimate the number of mussels in a mussel bed
  • Estimate the total amount of water filtered by the mussel bed
  • Remove a trap full of eels
  • Place an empty eel trap in the designated area

Not sure where to begin? Request a teacher workshop for professional development.

Pick your teams level of competition below for more information on this year's mission challenge.

SCOUT Class

(Entry)

NAVIGATOR Class

(Intermediate)

RANGER Class

(Experienced)

EXPLORER Class

(Advanced)

Thank you to our Sponsors: The Littlejohn Family Foundation, Wells Fargo, Motorola Solutions Foundation, Interstate Battery and Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary