Photo courtesy The Gila Monsters 4-H underwater robot team. From left: Coach Toni Deanda Solberg, Lily Meister, Cary Quintana, Coach David Flores, Xavier Hansen and Aston Martin.
On Saturday, May 6, four Gila County teams competed in the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Remotely Operated Vehicle competition at the University of Arizona. The Gila Monsters, representing Southern Gila County 4-H, finished 3rd overall in the regional competition.
According to MATE’s philosophy, the competition is “an educational and educational challenge for students who are challenged to apply the physics, mathematics, electronics, and engineering skills they learn in the classroom to practical problem-solving in the marine field. It’s designed to be an inspirational event.”
Fifteen teams from across the state participated in regional events, including remote-controlled vehicle demonstrations, engineering presentations and marketing exhibits.
Participants had similar enthusiasm for the program, regardless of the outcome of the competition. A lot of people asked me, “When can I start planning for next year?”
