The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is excited to once again host this regional event at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in downtown Alpena, Michigan.

The MATE ROV Competition focuses on student learning. It is designed to challenge students to apply the physics, math, electronics, and engineering skills they are acquiring in the classroom to real-world problems.

This event will feature the SCOUT, NAVIGATOR, and RANGER class competitions and will serve as the regional hub for team development in Michigan. Ranger-level teams that perform well in regional competitions will advance to the world competition, which will also be hosted in Alpena this June!

If you’re a team interested in registering, please visit this site for more information.

Spectators are welcome! The event begins at 9 a.m., with the awards ceremony at 3 p.m. Teams will drive their ROVs in the marine technology training tank adjacent to the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, and there will be a live stream of the underwater challenges in the theater.

There is no cost to attend this event.