Blue Tech Academy

What?

Calling all students, educators, and administrators! Blue Tech Academy explores hands-on learning in robotics, marine science, software, and blue technology. Students get to experience real-world projects, build useful skills, and connect with people working in the tech and ocean industries.

Blue Tech Academy is a modular and customizable program that explores the intersection of marine sciences and blue technology. Students will get to work with tools like underwater robots, drop cams, ocean sensors, and autonomous boats, as they explore their local waters.

Each session brings new challenges: mapping the seafloor, studying the local marine environment, testing water chemistry. Students will build and deploy ocean sensors, collect data for citizen science, and yes, they’ll totally get to fly an underwater ROV.

At its core, this program is about fueling curiosity, building confidence with scientific gear, and connecting with the ocean in a real, meaningful way. Plus, students will get a front-row seat to how blue tech is transforming ocean exploration, and have a blast doing it.

Where?

Blue Tech Academy can be held by any school, aquarium, makerspace, or anywhere learning is happening! In addition to classroom sessions, students will participate in hands-on learning experiences beyond the school campus. Sessions can include a visit to local harbor, lake, or pool, where students can apply their marine technology skills in real life situations!

Where?

Why?

Education is at a turning point. Students are tuning out because what they’re learning often feels disconnected from the world they actually live in. We want to change that. The ocean is one of the most powerful classrooms on the planet, and we think it should play a bigger role in how students learn, explore, and grow.

That’s why we created Blue Tech Academy, a way to reconnect tech education with the real world. It’s all about getting students outside, asking tough questions, and using the same tools the pros use in the field. It’s an entry point into marine science, robotics, and the blue economy. But more than anything, it’s about helping students build the confidence to explore, to figure things out, and to stay endlessly curious about the world around them.

Because this is a modular program that can be customized, modified, or expanded upon, the sessions can also be adjusted to fit your needs! Below are a few examples of modules we’ve done in the past:

Bathymetry

Students explore how scientists measure and map the seafloor, gaining insight into the tools and techniques used in marine research. Using uncrewed surface vessels and single beam echosounders, they conduct a real bathymetric survey of a local waterway. Back in the classroom, they process their data to create a bathymetric contour map, learning how marine technology helps us understand underwater landscapes.

Drop Cam

Students design, assemble, and deploy a programmable underwater camera system. The goal is to spark curiosity both in designing and building the drop cam system, and in using it to capture real footage of the underwater environment. The video data students collect can help them explore questions about habitat diversity, species presence, and the connections between marine life and the places it lives.

ROV Piloting

Students are introduced to remotely operated vehicles and learn the basics of setup, safety, and control. After simulation practice, they operate real ROVs in the field to survey and inspect underwater infrastructure and practice recovering objects from the seafloor. This experience gives students a direct understanding of how underwater vehicles are used in research, industry, and conservation.

Capstone

The capstone experience is a full day in the field where students bring together everything they’ve learned throughout the program. They conduct surveys, collect data, and explore the nearshore environment using kayaks, ROVs, and other tools. The goal is to apply what they have learned in a real-world setting and experience the excitement of marine exploration firsthand.

Science Communication + Graduation

This session focuses on communicating what the students discovered and why it matters. They prepare short presentations and share their findings with parents, teachers, and local guests. This closing module celebrates their growth while reinforcing that understanding the ocean is about sharing its story as much as exploring it.