LOCAL COLLEGE OFFERS FREE NAUTICAL ROBOTICS SUMMER CAMP

Teens participating in the nautical robotics summer camp of the College of the Florida Keys will learn to code and operate their own Pathfinder robot. CONTRIBUTED

The College of the Florida Keys is offering a free nautical STEM robotics camp, July 18-22, for teens 13 to 17. The one-week camp will engage students on the water and on dry land at the college’s Key West campus. Morning activities will include field trips on the ocean, projects in the CFK mariculture lab, and other nautical-themed experiences. In the afternoons, campers will split into teams to work on robotics, coding their Pathfinder vehicles and running competitions.  

The Porpoise Robotics program was created by the Office of Naval Research to entice young people to explore the maritime environment. It introduces them to computer coding and nautical STEM careers such as mariculture, underseas robotics, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations, ocean and coastal research, and maritime sensor technology. The program is a joint effort by CFK and local resident David Grober, an Emmy and Academy Award winner for camera stabilization systems. The Porpoise Robotics team includes Kevin Bowen, a former senior submersibles engineer with Raytheon; Professor Thomas Culhane, who is also a National Geographic Explorer specializing in STEM and sustainable food and energy systems; and Ebenson Michelin, an experienced local teacher who will lead the camp.  

The Porpoise Robotics summer program of the College of the Florida Keys introduces teens to computer coding and nautical STEM careers such as mariculture, underseas robotics, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations, ocean and coastal research, and maritime sensor technology. CONTRIBUTED

The college is able to provide the nautical STEM robotics camp free of charge to local teens thanks to a grant and a donation of equipment. The Golden Fleece Foundation, founded by former CFK Foundation board member John Padget, donated $10,000 and Grober donated the Porpoise Robotics equipment to the college for the camp. 

To register for the Nautical STEM Robotics Camp, please visit CFK.edu/summer-camps. Space is limited.