Competition Will Be Held at Scripps Institution of Oceanography - University of California, San Diego

Contact: Caroline Brown, 401-654-6697, matecenter@carolinebrown.com

MONTEREY, Calif., Nov. 7 /Standard Newswire/ -- Hot fluids spew from a fissure, known as a vent, in the seafloor, along a mid-ocean ridge in the deep sea. Thriving in the area near the plume of hot fluids are six-foot long tubeworms found only in this specific habitat. A research institution sends down an underwater robot, or remotely operated vehicle (ROV), to sample the tubeworms in their natural environment. Is the ROV up to the task of operating in such an extreme location?

The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center and the Marine Technology Society's ROV Committee will put a similar challenge to students participating in its 2008 International Student ROV Competition, to be held June 26 - 28, 2008 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography - University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The competition will focus on hydrothermal vents. Like hot springs in the seafloor, hydrothermal vents discharge continuous streams of hot fluids from deep beneath the Earth's crust into the surrounding cold ocean water. Rich in minerals and chemical compounds, these fluids support unique ecosystems of animal life found no where else on Earth.

The competition is being held in partnership with Ridge 2000, an interdisciplinary research program designed to study the biology, chemistry, geology, and geophysics of Earth's ocean ridge systems. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and currently hosted at Scripps, Ridge 2000 highlights mid-ocean ridges and hydrothermal vents, which are created in locations where Earth's tectonic plates are spreading apart and play an important role in ocean chemistry and circulation. The MATE Center's ROV competition is designed to present middle school, high school, community college, and university students with the same types of challenges that scientists and engineers face when working in these extreme environments.

A graduate school of UCSD, Scripps Institution of Oceanography is one of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for global marine science research, graduate training, and public service in the world. Research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography encompasses physical, chemical, biological, geological, and geophysical studies of the Earth's ocean and atmosphere.

Before the June event, teams from across the world will participate in regional events. Currently, 17 regional competitions are part of the MATE Center's ROV competition network:

• Big Island (Hilo, Hawaii)

• Florida (Tampa, Florida)

• Great Lakes (Alpena, Michigan)

• Hawaii (Oahu, Hawaii)

• Hong Kong (Hong Kong)

• Mid-Atlantic (Hampton, Virginia)

• Monterey Bay (Monterey, California)

• New England (Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts)

• Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada)

• Northern California (Arcata, California)

• Nova Scotia (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)

• Pacific Northwest (Seattle, Washington)

• Scotland (Aberdeen, Scotland)

• Southern California Fly-Off (San Diego, California)

• Southeast (Savannah, Georgia)

• Southwest (Phoenix, Arizona)

• Texas (Houston, Texas)

ROVs are underwater robots used to support scientific research, the offshore oil and gas and telecommunications industries, underwater archaeology, underwater construction and structural inspections, and port and harbor security. MATE's competitions use ROVs as a way to teach technical, engineering, scientific, and critical thinking skills - skills in great demand in today's technical workplace. MATE's competitions are also important because they help students become aware of careers where they can apply these skills, a critical step in addressing the shortage of qualified engineers and technical professionals.

About the MATE Center: Headquartered at Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, California, the MATE Center is a national partnership of community colleges, universities, high schools, employers, and working professionals whose mission is to improve marine technical education and meet marine workforce needs. Its competition is the first student robotics competition to focus exclusively on ROVs. The competition is supported by the NSF, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Marine Technology Society ROV Committee and other ocean and technology-related organizations. For more information, please visit www.marinetech.org/rov_competition/index.php.