6/1/2005 11:04:00 AM PTHS students create underwater remotely operated vehicle for research
Port Townsend students and members of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Sequim show the underwater device developed by the students. Pictured are (from left) Ron Thom of the Sequim lab, software designer Eric McRae, Northwest Academy student David Kunz, Port Townsend High School science teacher Tim Behrenfeld, PTHS students Andrew Haines, Daniel Schulz and Cody Blevins, Mar Vista High School student Bram Lichty, and mentor Gary McLuen. – Submitted photo
During the past two years, five students from Port Townsend invested more than 500 hours working with local entrepreneur Gary McLuen to develop, design and construct a highly specialized research vessel capable of diving to the depths of Puget Sound to conduct marine research.
Andrew Haines, Cody Blevins, David Kunz, Dan Schulz and Bram Lichty are preparing to go to college this fall. Each has chosen areas of interest in the science, engineering and math fields.
Blevins, Haines and Schulz are Port Townsend High School students. Lichty attends Mar Vista alternative school. Kunz attends Northwest Academy.
With a simple goal of giving students an opportunity to apply the disciplines of science, math and English on a real-world engineering project, McLuen contributed his time, his shop and about $15,000 to help the students transform a novel concept into a viable scientific research craft. The unmanned, underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was donated to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Marine Research operations facilities in Sequim after its May 20 demonstration there.
For two years, the students gathered each Wednesday afternoon and every other Saturday to design and fabricate the vehicle affectionately referred to as Puma. During that time, McLuen took pleasure in letting the kids struggle a little and occasionally fail, requiring them to use math and engineering as scientists do to solve problems, devise theories and find answers to difficult questions.
“These students have exceeded my wildest expectations,” said McLuen. “They’ll make terrific engineers someday soon.”
The project, conducted independently from their high school curriculum, required the students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom as well as hands-on skills learned in the field. For instance, the students designed and fabricated components using a computer-controlled machining center, learned aluminum welding, and calculated stress and pressure requirements needed for deep water diving. Each task was completed under the careful guidance and supervision of McLuen as well as Eric McRae, who assisted with the computer software design, and Port Townsend High School science teacher Tim Behrenfeld.
“The ROV is quite sophisticated, providing a suite of high-end components and capabilities expected to be extremely useful for scientific research,” said McLuen. “The project is more akin to a college or professional endeavor than that of a team of enthused science and engineering high school students.”
The ROV
Instrumentation equipped on the ROV collects and stores real-time data such as the levels of dissolved oxygen in water, vehicle depth, water temperature, turbidity and pH levels. Recorded data is stored on a hard drive in an Excel file format and can be graphically displayed on the computer’s monitor.
“The operator can maneuver the ROV by watching a laptop monitor, which offers views from cameras mounted on the front and rear of the underwater vehicle,” said Behrenfeld. “A digital compass displayed on the computer screen provides the vehicle’s true heading as well as a tilt-and-roll reference to help the operator avoid getting lost or disoriented.” Four thrusters powered by an onboard battery can take the vehicle wherever it wants to go, he added.
While tethered to the computer by a flexible Ethernet cord and maneuvered via a trackball, the ROV can travel to a depth of more than 300 feet thanks to a rugged design calculated by students to withstand the great pressures of exceptionally deep dives.
“Prior to beginning, the students met with PNNL staff as their ‘client’ to determine our needs and specifications,” noted Dick Ecker, director of PNNL Marine Science Laboratory. “We reviewed their draft plans early in the process and visited their shop periodically to inspect their progress. Interacting directly with the students helped them learn a great deal about working with a client."
The lab intends to deploy the vehicle to help inspect the growth and health of newly planted stands of eelgrass. With its sophisticated capabilities, Ecker said it might also be used in locating, monitoring and mapping areas on Hood Canal that lack properly oxygenated water, an important issue ripe for research.
PNNL is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory that solves problems in energy, national security, the environment and life sciences by advancing the understanding of physics, chemistry, biology and computation. Its main research complex is located in Richland, Wash., but it also operates offices in Seattle, Portland, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Sequim. PNNL has been managed by Ohio-based Battelle since the lab’s inception in 1965.
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