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A Research Project Involving Minority Students Ray Bachnak, Jack Esparza, Zack Lopez, Allen Anton, Marc Mendez Department of Computing Sciences Texas A&M University Corpus Christi

Abstract

Students in Engineering Technology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi have been working on several funded research projects. This paper describes a project that has involved a good number of minority students. The project involves the design and development of a remotely operated vessel (ROV) that performs data logging in shallow water environments. The ROV employs a sophisticated control system that allows both remote control of the platform by a human operator as well as some measure of autonomous operation. The system transmits environmental data wirelessly via a radio to a control station in real-time. The paper will provide details about the project and most recent developments.

Introduction

Engineering and engineering technology programs have used research for a variety of purposes, including student recruitment [1, 2], student retention [3], outreach programs that target minority students [4], and exposure to engineering research through multidisciplinary projects [5]. Similarly, the engineering technology programs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (A&M-CC) have used applied research projects to help “Recruit, Retain and Graduate a Diverse and Highly Qualified Student Body.” This paper describes a research project in which a good number of minority students have been involved. The project involves the development of a remotely operated vessel used as a supplemental tool for our studies of South Texas Coastal waters. An important application is data collection in shallow water areas - environments that often preclude the use of traditional boats. Data collection in shallow water areas normally requires setting up sensors in several places. In addition to being redundant and time consuming, this task when performed manually has a high probability of disturbing the test area. Obstacles encountered in such environments include difficulty in covering large territories and the presence of inaccessible areas due to a variety of reasons such as a soft bottom or contamination.

Two boats have been designed and constructed so far. The first prototype was led by Wien Lohachit and the second prototype was led by Daniel Davis [6, 7]. The current boat has a 60 inch long hull and 46 inches wide, with a height from rudder bottom to GPS top of 36 inches. The ROV is operated wirelessly through a laptop equipped with a serial port. After launching the program, the user is presented with a screen that displays visual representations of the vessel’s pitch, roll, and rudder position. In the upper left hand corner, a grouping of fields displays the GPS position of the ROV, its current true

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Bachnak, R., & Esparza, J., & lopez, Z., & Anton, A., & Mendez, M. (2007, June), A Research Project Involving Minority Students Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--1826