Outreach

As part of a 2004-2007 Antarctic Biology grant awarded to Dr. Hofmann though NSF’s Office of Polar Programs (OPP), a remote operated vehicle was commissioned to be built for the lab by two local high school students. Ryan Garner and Amanda Wilson, at the time both high-school seniors at Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, CA, spent a year collaborating with the Hofmann Lab at UCSB and Ali Whitmer, the Marine Science Institute’s Director of Education and Outreach, to construct the ROV.

Amanda and Ryan, along with their mentors Robert Ranard and Shirley Pillus, spent the entire school year researching materials that would be appropriate for Antarctic conditions and assembling a range of components to fit the specific needs of the research team. Graduate student Jessica Dutton served as liason between the high school team and the Hofmann Lab.

Because the ROV was going to be used to explore several different habitats under the sea ice, the rover was equipped with top-, bottom- and forward-facing adjustable cameras and five thrusters to provide a range of mobility. The frame was made of lightweight yet durable plastic from household cutting boards. A straightforward design (and a plethora of spare parts) allowed the Antarctic team to make repairs in the field.

Watch the ROV fly in Antarctica

Prior to their collaboration with the Hofmann Lab, Ryan and Amanda were members of a team at Cabrillo High School that competed and placed highly in the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center ROV design national competition in 2005.

Read about the Dr. Hofmann’s Antarctic research with the ROV in this U.S. Antarctic Program press release

-The ROV was tested in large aquaria before being deployed. Here it is in a tank with a captured Trematomus bernacchii