Two Oneida Middle School teams, competing against 51 teams from eight school districts, took first place (tied) in the Regional SeaPerch Challenge that was held Sunday at the RPI Robison Pool.  Both teams advance to the 2018 International SeaPerch Contest scheduled for June 1-3 at UMass Dartmouth.   SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics contest in which students build underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from a kit and including a curriculum that teaches basic engineering, science & mathematics.

Five Oneida teams competed in the regional event.  Between December and February, the teams designed and built their vehicles with the help of mentors from the Naval Nuclear Laboratory.  In February, the teams began weekly practices with their remotely operated vehicles at the Schenectady High School Pool.

The students competed in a timed obstacle course in which they drove their ROVs through a series of hoops at different heights and angles.  They also completed a finesse challenge that required the teams to pick up and move various objects from one underwater platform to another.

Oneida’s Majestic Sea Chickens, finished 2^nd in both courses.  Totally Cubular, finished 3^rd on the obstacle course and 1^st on the finesse challenge.  The results put both teams in a tie for first place.