Project Pegasus
Between February and June 2017 a member of the Edward’s lab, assisted by four local high school interns, assembled an OpenROV™ remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The purpose of this outreach platform, titled Project Pegasus, is to engage with local high school students, and to prepare them for a collegiate career in STEM fields. Project Pegasus has three modules: a writing component. construction of the ROV, and deployment of the ROV in the field.
The writing component was assigned by the project leader (from the Edwards Lab); interns were tasked with writing a grant related to the use and deployment of an ROV in real-world scenarios. Grants were edited and critiqued by the project leader; constructive feedback was given to the interns to help strengthen their writing portfolios.
The construction phase of Project Pegasus challenged the team members to develop and hone new and applicable skills. Interns learned how to solvent weld, solder, troubleshoot electrical and mechanical issues, and, most importantly, work together as a cohesive unit. Every week team members met at SDSU’s Coastal and Marine Institute to work on the construction of the ROV, following instruction provided by OpenROV™.
The final phase of this project involves the use of the ROV for a suit of academic and outreach assignments. Project Pegasus has partnered with the e/v Nautilus and the Ocean Explorers Trust to bring the use and applications of ocean science from the field to the classroom. Because the primary use of this ROV will be in the Aleutian Islands, team members in San Diego had developed a sense of connectedness with a project completed by local researchers in a remote ecosystem.
The writing component was assigned by the project leader (from the Edwards Lab); interns were tasked with writing a grant related to the use and deployment of an ROV in real-world scenarios. Grants were edited and critiqued by the project leader; constructive feedback was given to the interns to help strengthen their writing portfolios.
The construction phase of Project Pegasus challenged the team members to develop and hone new and applicable skills. Interns learned how to solvent weld, solder, troubleshoot electrical and mechanical issues, and, most importantly, work together as a cohesive unit. Every week team members met at SDSU’s Coastal and Marine Institute to work on the construction of the ROV, following instruction provided by OpenROV™.
The final phase of this project involves the use of the ROV for a suit of academic and outreach assignments. Project Pegasus has partnered with the e/v Nautilus and the Ocean Explorers Trust to bring the use and applications of ocean science from the field to the classroom. Because the primary use of this ROV will be in the Aleutian Islands, team members in San Diego had developed a sense of connectedness with a project completed by local researchers in a remote ecosystem.
