Lessons Learned in the Development of a STEM Outreach Program for Biologically Inspired Underwater Robotics

Abstract

Following our work-in-progress paper and presentation in 2022 [1], this paper documents efforts to develop a STEM outreach program in biologically inspired underwater robotics. This STEM outreach program includes a prototype kit, a standards-aligned written curriculum for classroom implementation, and supporting demonstration videos, assessed via focus group testing. The kit includes three different hull shapes, emulating different maritime species, and two different propulsion mechanisms, e.g., propellers and flapping, in a lighter-than-air (blimp) platform. With these components and supporting materials, the kit can be used to demonstrate how shape and propulsion influence hydrodynamic properties, stability, structural engineering, system design, etc. The curriculum is designed to guide 9th-12th grade students, classes, or afterschool groups through learning activities leveraging kit components and built blimps to further students' understanding of marine biology, form and function, balance, movement, and technical writing. Videos provide an engaging way for learners to interact with the content. In this paper, we expand upon the kit and curriculum development efforts introduced in [1] and videography summarized in [2], and we discuss the findings from the focus groups that helped us refine the kits and the curriculum so that it is suitable for a range of learning styles and abilities.