How do you build a vehicle that can dive, steer, and surface on command, hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface? And how do you manufacture it so every part fits, seals, and performs? In this hands-on course, students explore those questions by designing, fabricating, and racing their own underwater robot. The main objective is to introduce students to both the engineering and the manufacturing behind undersea vehicles, from small robotic drones to the submarines built right here in Connecticut. Working in teams, students take a robot from concept through fabrication and assembly, test and refine it in the water, and compete in a final underwater race. Along the way, they learn how submarines are designed and built, visit facilities where undersea technology is developed, and work alongside UConn undergraduate and graduate students who are pursuing engineering careers themselves.
- Design it, build it, race it: Every team designs, fabricates, and assembles its own robot, then competes in a final underwater race.
- From design to manufacturing: Students experience the full path from idea to finished product, learning not just how to design a vehicle but how to build it reliably.
- Real submarine connection: Students learn how submarines are designed and manufactured, grounded in Connecticut’s role as a national center of submarine construction.
- Field trips: Students visit sites to see undersea technology, and the people and processes behind it, up close.
- Near-peer mentoring: Students work directly with UConn undergraduate and graduate students, getting an honest look at what studying engineering in college is like.
- Career pathways: Students see the wide range of careers in naval engineering, ocean engineering, and advanced manufacturing, and the skills that lead to them.
- No experience required: The course is designed for curious students of any background; everything needed is taught along the way.
Sessions Offered
Session 1:
June 20, 2027- June 26, 2027
Course Fees
Format
Residential
Non-Credit
This class is meant to be immersive and students will experience:
- Build your own robot from scratch: Students design, fabricate, and assemble a working underwater robot with their own hands.
- Test it in the water: Teams put their robots in the pool, see what works, and improve their designs through real trial and error.
- Race to finish: The course ends with an underwater race where teams compete with the robots they built.
- Learn from the people who do it: Students work side by side with UConn undergraduate and graduate students and see undersea technology up close on field trips.
Related Careers:
- Underwater Sensors Engineer
- Subsea Robotics Engineer
- Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Operator
Meet the Professor
Dr. Alexandra (Lexi) Hain, Ph.D., P.E., is an Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Connecticut and Director of the UConn Navy STEM Program. As Director, Dr. Hain leads this long-running, funded program that connects students with careers in naval engineering and Connecticut’s submarine industry.
This course is co-taught by the UConn Navy STEM team, led by Kevin Logue, K-12 Special Projects Lead. Kevin and fellow team members bring extensive experience designing and running hands-on STEM programs for K-12 students. UConn undergraduate and graduate students also serve as mentors throughout the course.
Learn more about UConn Navy STEM: https://navy-stem.uconn.edu/
