Bryant Aquatic Center to host 2022 Arkansas SeaPerch Challenge March 11
165 youth from two states to compete
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts
- Competitors hail from Arkansas and Mississippi
- Arkansas SeaPerch entries up 400 percent since 2016
(288 words)
(Newsrooms: with file art https://flic.kr/s/aHsmLSPeWK )
LITTLE ROCK — Forty-one teams, each equipped with a remote-control submersible assembled from motors, pool noodles and PVC pipe, will be competing for the top prizes in the Arkansas SeaPerch Challenge, March 11 at The Center at Bishop Park in Bryant.
This year’s competition is presented by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas and Arkansas 4-H, the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The program inspires youth to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
“We are excited to see the phenomenal growth of this program in Arkansas — 400 percent since 2016,” said Lori Canada, extension instructor-youth development-science for the Division of Agriculture. “We are grateful to the parents who support this and other 4-H activities and are very thankful for our partnership with the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.
This year’s 165 competitors hail from Benton, Boone, Grant, Howard, Madison, Miller, Perry, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline and Washington counties in Arkansas. Two teams are from Mississippi.
Winning teams in the junior and senior competitions are eligible to advance to the International SeaPerch Challenge, to be held in Maryland in June.
"Arkansas' electric cooperatives are dedicated to providing STEM-based educational opportunities for Arkansas’ youth," said Rob Roedel, director of corporate communications for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. "Our partnership with Arkansas 4-H has resulted in tremendous growth in this program that opens learning paths for the future leaders of our great state.”
SeaPerch is operated by RoboNation and sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, MathWorks and AutoDesk.
To learn more about the Arkansas 4-H SeaPerch Challenge, visit 4h.uada.edu. Learn more about the SeaPerch initiative.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
About the Arkansas Electric Cooperatives
The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas comprise 17 electric distribution cooperatives; Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AECI), a Little Rock-based cooperative that provides services to the distribution cooperatives; and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. (AECC), a generation and transmission cooperative. The distribution cooperatives provide electricity to approximately 600,000 homes, farms and businesses in Arkansas and surrounding states.
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Media contact:
Mary Hightower, mhightower@uada.edu