Middle Schoolers Participate in NUWC Division Newport's Annual SeaPerch Derby

Seventeen teams comprised of middle school students competed in the second annual Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport SeaPerch Derby held on December 6 at New Bedford High School in Massachusetts.

Using a remote-controlled underwater vehicle known as a SeaPerch, which was constructed by the students, participating teams hailed from five middle schools—Normandin, Keith and Roosevelt in New Bedford; Kickemuit in Warren, Rhode Island; and Pennfield in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

With assistance from Division Newport scientists and engineers, the SeaPerch Derby regional competition is designed to promote excellence and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. It gives the students basic skills in ship and submarine design and encourages them to explore naval architecture and marine and ocean engineering concepts.

"The SeaPerch curriculum teaches students how to read a technical manual and follow the instructions to create a useful product from raw material," said Mike DeSousa, Division Newport's program manager of K-12 STEM Educational Outreach. "It also teaches students how to properly use tools like power drills and soldering irons and gives students the confidence to purse difficult challenges that might appear daunting at first."

Students competing in the annual SeaPerch Derby. © NUWC

The students competed in two challenges—an obstacle course consisting of five suspended hoops, and a mission surveying and repairing underwater infrastructure damaged by a storm. The two top teams earned an invitation to the SeaPerch International Competition to be held in May 2026 at the University of Maryland. Those teams were "The Whalers" from Kickemuit and "Delta" from Pennfield.

Division Newport personnel serving as judges during the competition included DeSousa; Sensors and Sonar Systems Department engineers Drew Canfield and Kevin Quinn; Andrew DeSousa and Nicholas Elliott, both of the Undersea Warfare (USW) Combat Systems Department; John DiCecco of the USW Platforms and Payload Integration Department; Emily Goyette and Jack Terlisner, both of the USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department; and Educational Outreach support contractor Sean Goggin.