Today, Jean asked if I would launch ScubaDooba Doo in the Crary Lab aquarium tank so she could document the story for the "Exploratorium." I also wanted to perfect my driving skills a bit, so it seemed like a perfect idea! The large aquarium tanks are currently devoid of fish, so we asked if we would be allowed to launch the robot in one of the tanks. Permission was granted, so we took "Doo" (as I now call the robot for short!) to the tank! We played around with Doo for a bit and were joined by Bob Zook who works with Dr. Stacy Kim on Project SCINI (Submersible Capable of under Ice Navigation and Imaging). He helped design and build the SCINI robot that the team is using in Antarctica. Their robot is really neat! I will be talking more about it in upcoming journals, but if you would like to find out about it now, visit: http://scini.mlml.calstate.edu/index.html as well as: http://www.polartrec.com/antarctic-undersea-rov-08/journals/cameo-slaybaugh. Bob took a turn at driving Doo and was impressed with the student efforts!
Then, the lab tour came in. In McMurdo, the scientists and grantees - the folks working directly with the scientists - have access to the Crary Lab. The other folks in town rarely get to come into the building. Every Sunday, the lab offers a tour for anyone interested in checking out what type of research is going on. The tour group, which had about 25 people, came through the aquarium while we were playing with Doo. I explained how this robot project started:
Dr. Doran, who is the researcher I am working with, is one of the leaders of the ENDURANCE project which is using a large robot to collect data in one of the Dry Valley lakes. Dr. Stacy Kim is also using a robot (SCINI) for her research. Dr. Kim also brought a teacher with her to Antarctica this season. It was Dr. Kim's idea to have her teacher (Cameo) and me have our students back in the states build an underwater robot to launch in Antarctica. So - that's how ScubaDooba Doo was born!
Everyone was VERY impressed with Doo and quite a few people took the opportunity to take Doo for a spin! It was fun to see everyone so excited and having so much fun with the robot from Rye Junior High! We are also being featured in an entry of "Learn New Zealand" (learnnz.org), so keep your eye out for the journal entry!
Doo dries off after a great swim!
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You can also check out my journals and pictures from previous seasons at: http://www.ryejrhigh.org/ellwood
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