SeaPerch: How a start-up hands-on robotics activity grew into a national program

The world is changing. Innovations transform our nation, creating whole new industries and occupations. Every job of the future will require a basic understanding of math and science. Science and technology careers exist in a culture of inspiration, discovery, and innovation. Advances in technology will have a meaningful impact on the lives of every American. This paper will discuss an issue, which has come to the forefront in the United States over the past ten years, the lack of students studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and its ramifications and will suggest one possible solution: SeaPerch. Beginning with the story of SeaPerch and its journey to become a national K-12 STEM outreach program, this paper will describe the program, including its curriculum. It will also discuss the competition, share statistics, metrics and the results of seven years of research. Finally, this paper will share some feedback from participants.