Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary hosts robot demonstration in Alpena

ALPENA, MI.- The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary hosted a special event on Saturday for the Neptune engineering team of Marlette High School.

Meet MARV- Marlette’s Awesome Robot Vehicle.
The Neptune Engineering team from from MHS brought this remotely operated vehicle to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary this weekend.
The team started constructing their robot in October. They were eager to demonstrate just how efficient their robot has become.

“I am an exchange student from India. I had no idea when I started but I have learned many new skills and how MARV works. This is an emotional, happy, and proud moment.” said Neptune engineering team member, Janice Vasanthakumar.
With the typical engineering competition postponed due to COVID, the sanctuary gave the students an opportunity to demonstrate their work.
The engineering team, consisting of 11 students, have been working toward this demonstration for months on end.

“They’ve put in large amounts of time and energy and have invested themselves in the project. The opportunity to show the community what they’ve been able to do is really important.” said Neptune Engineering team leader, Paula Mcelroy.
The team will donate their robot to the Marlette Fire Department to be used for public services.