By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas 4-H teams from across the state gathered at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for the 2025 SeaPerch Challenge, remotely navigating submersible robots through obstacle and mission courses.
Two hundred and twenty-six Arkansas 4-H members from 16 counties participated in the March 14 event. The annual competition is hosted by Arkansas 4-H, part of the Cooperative Extension Service, and the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.
Fifty-four teams worked to build remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, using pieces of pool noodles, electrical tape, 3-D printed parts, PVC pipe and other supplies. They then steered the ROVs through an underwater mission course and obstacle course, both designed to mimic undersea exploration or deep-sea missions. Teams were also judged on their technical design reports, where they documented the construction and engineering design process for the robots.
INTERNATIONALS BOUND — The Grant County Aquanauts are the winning open class team for the 2025 Arkansas SeaPerch Challenge. From left to right: Eli Watson, Priyam Laxmi and Garrett Key. (Photo by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.)
Michelle McVay, extension STEM instructor for 4-H and Youth Development for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the SeaPerch program is a great example of how 4-H helps participants learn by doing.
“Instead of just reading about engineering, they actually get to build and test underwater robots, figuring things out as they go,” McVay said. “This hands-on experience makes learning more fun and memorable. STEM programs like SeaPerch are super important because they teach problem-solving, teamwork and real-world skills that kids can use in school, their careers and beyond.”
For the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, this emphasis on STEM education is at the heart of the organization’s support for the SeaPerch program.
“When we became aware of the program, the cooperatives took an immediate interest due to the kind of learning that SeaPerch provides,” said Rob Roedel, senior director of corporate communications for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. “I distinctly remember watching the first competition in 2016 and thinking immediately of ways we could make the SeaPerch program a marquee event for the youth of Arkansas. Each year, the partnership between Arkansas 4-H and the Electric Cooperatives allows us to make the program bigger and better.”
The overall winning junior and senior stock teams, open class team and high score overall team will compete at the International SeaPerch Challenge May 31-June 1 in College Park, Maryland.
Winning Senior Stock Class Team:
DeepWater Vanguard from Grant County: Gavin McGinley, Gracie McKinley and Callen Shaw
Winning Junior Stock Class Team:
Hydro Rappers from Grant County: Cooper Henderson, Jackson Knight, Priyesh Laxmi and Abby Martin
Winning Open Class Team:
Aquanauts from Grant County: Garrett Key, Priyam Laxmi and Eli Watson
High Score Overall Winner*:
Sea-Cret Agents from Grant County: Jaxson Andrews, Ella Daniels, Sarah Daniels and Luke Douthit
*The Sea-Cret Agents had the next highest overall score after the Aquanauts, so because the Aquanauts secured a spot as the winning open class team, the Sea-Cret Agents will take the high score overall spot.
Fun for families
For the first time in the program’s history, the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas were able to set up cameras in the pool and live stream the ROVs as they navigated through the mission and obstacle courses. The video streamed to the organization’s YouTube channel, and it also appeared on display monitors in the waiting area for teams inside the Donaghey Student Center Fitness and Aquatic Center.
“We’ve tried to do this before, but we never got the cameras just right,” said Chance Allmon, audio visual technician for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. “It’s a very hard sport to spectate. So, we wanted the parents to be able to watch their kids and know what’s going on.”
Allmon said it has been rewarding to watch SeaPerch participants grow in their skills since the program first began in 2016.
“During the first few years, the kids were not comfortable with the courses at all. There was a lot of tangling with their tether cables,” Allmon said. “But there were kids just zipping through the course today. We barely saw them drop their ROVs in before they were back out. The kids are really getting this sport down, and it seems like a really fun way to get them into robotics.
“We’re able to give the kids an outlet to learn a new skill, something that will be transferable if they go into engineering or wiring,” Allmon said. “Very rarely will you invest in kids, and it not pay off.”
Engaging and educating the next generation
Roedel said Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas are proud to work closely with the Cooperative Extension Service and Arkansas 4-H.
“The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas are committed to improving quality of life in the communities that we serve,” Roedel said. “The cooperatives make significant investments in the youth with our communities, as they represent the future. The electric cooperatives in Arkansas would not exist today without the dedication of Division of Agriculture extension agents, who went farm to farm with the state’s electric cooperative pioneers to convince farmers to sign up for electricity back in the 1930s and ‘40s.
“The values of Arkansas 4-H, the Cooperative Extension Service and the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas closely align, as we all exist to serve,” Roedel said. “The SeaPerch program is just another example of a service that our partnership provides to the Natural State.”
McVay said Arkansas 4-H’s partnership with Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas is critical to the program’s success.
“The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas play a huge role in making the SeaPerch Challenge possible,” McVay said. “As the sole sponsor since the beginning, they provide the funding, resources and support needed to keep the program running and growing each year. By reaching out to your local Electric Cooperative, new teams can secure their first SeaPerch kit completely free of charge. By supporting this competition, they’re not just investing in the event itself — they’re investing in the future workforce and leaders of Arkansas.”
For more information about the Arkansas 4-H SeaPerch Challenge, contact McVay at mmcvay@uada.edu or visit 4h.uada.edu. To learn more about the SeaPerch program, visit seaperch.org/about.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
