aroundcampus on a mission Students launched a decommissioned REMUS 100 autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, from the U.S. Navy, in nearby Songo Pond this fall, primarily to test the AUV’s capabilities — and their own. The REMUS 100 (or Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS) is a robot that travels underwater without requiring input from an operator. It weighs 80 to 100 pounds and is rated to a depth of 100 meters. It is fully programmable for many tasks and costs upward of $250,000. This one was donated to the school. With the help of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Ryan Marine, the team has made the vehicle operational. Now, the group of 13 students is hoping to add other capabilities, including side scan sonar and sample taking. They see REMUS as a valuable tool in science research.
Students at Woods Hole last spring with their ex-Navy REMUS 100 sub
“It’s really a blank canvas for students to apply their knowledge,” said senior Josh Galluzzo. “It’s the ultimate applied learning tool.” For the students, it was especially gratifying to see the sub moving about on its own. “It didn’t always go smoothly,” said sophomore Auburn PutzBurton, “but we were able to collect a lot of data that will help us in the future. We plan to carry out several missions similar to this one, and get used to running it in the field and
testing more of its capabilities before exploring several ideas we have for bigger, more exciting ventures.” The group also made a trip to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute last spring to learn from their engineers, learn safety protocols for the REMUS, and are still in frequent contact with them. “As far as we know, the few other schools who received a REMUS haven’t gotten them out on the water,” said junior Aidan Ryan. “This is a unique opportunity for us.”
on stage Fall drama students put on a double feature in November: “Black Comedy” is a one-act farce by Peter Shaffer about a young sculptor and his debutante fiancée. “Rapunzel Uncut” by Mariah Everman is the well-known fairy tale retold by dueling narrators.
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“The entire cast was so supportive,” says Caroline Newell ’19. “We were all on the ride together, laughing and stressing about how hard the blocking is and how strange some of the lines were. We all had so much fun along the way.” Photos by Laurin Parker ’94
Caroline Newell ’20 in “Black Comedy”
Steffi Ordway ’20 in “Rapunzel Uncut”
