ROV´ing into the National Marine Sanctuaries Oceans 2005 MTS/IEEE Washington, D.C

Recognizing the need to reach the marine technology community, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries partnered with the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center and other marine tech groups to create a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) teacher workshop program. This program sponsors teacher workshops at multiple sanctuary sites to increase the knowledge of sanctuary science through ROV technologies, as well as provide educators the tools needed to learn how to build real working ROV´s in their classrooms. Creating a link between students, educators and the marine tech community proves to create a better awareness of our oceans and their unexplored vastness. Through technology, we are learning more about the oceans that surround us, and what we can do to protect them. Providing programs to excite students about potential career paths helps to meet the sanctuary system´s mission to promote understanding for resource protection and to create stewards for the future.