The STEM scholars at the Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School are finishing up a groundbreaking project.
This semester, they built an underwater robot.
- Students built the robot from scratch
- Robot already used in nearby lakes to take water samples, search for microplastic pollution
- Students also creating a documentary about the project
Using a manual, about a dozen students built the robot from scratch. They took it to nearby lakes and oceans to collect water samples and search for microplastic pollution.
“It was very difficult," said Joseph Gallo IV, a STEM scholar at Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School. "We ran into so many problems, but the best thing is that we overcame everything and had a working robot at the end of it.”
Students control the robot via laptop. Utilizing the robot's on-board camera, students could "see" what the robot saw as they conducted their underwater test runs.
“It was this huge project that was a lot bigger than me,” explained Rene Respicio, a senior at Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School, who earned her associate’s degree before graduating from high school. “It wasn’t just about me trying to get this college credit or whatever. It was actually me building a robot to help discover how much plastic was in the ocean, and what we could do to help solve that problem. “
“I really learned our impact on the world as a community, and how bad nature around us and the environment can be affected, but I also learned how much we can help as citizens,” said Gallo.
The students are also creating a documentary about the project.
“I hope that it will be seen around the world," said Gallo. "We are entering the Blue Ocean Film Festival, which is international, so a lot of people should be able to see our work here at Polk State."
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