Clovis Community College engineering club prepares for international underwater robotics competition

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Inside the Applied Technology Building at Clovis Community College, around 100 students take part in the Engineering Renaissance Club, a student-led organization focused on real-world experience and career preparation.

"It's our goal to be able to provide them with the experience and the skills that they need to go into their professional careers and say, 'Hey, I really know this skill,'" said Jack Jackson, co-CEO of the club's competitive team, Crush Depth.

About half of the club's members also compete as part of Crush Depth, a Marine Advanced Technology Education Remotely Operated Vehicle, or MATE ROV, team.

Jackson and Luke Salazar serve as co-CEOs, overseeing the fast-paced, skills-focused program.

"People that join Crush Depth are really looking to hone in on their skills in a much quicker, faster-paced, more developed environment," Jackson said.

The team is currently building a new remotely operated vehicle for the international underwater robotics competition scheduled for June in Newfoundland, Canada.

There, they will compete against four-year universities from around the world, including teams from China and the United Kingdom.

"It's like March Madness, but for engineers," Salazar said. "There's a lot of big teams, a lot of big schools." He added, "We're kind of more like a Cinderella story. We want to go out there, compete and do well."

Crush Depth has qualified for the world championships for the past two years. In its first appearance, the team competed in the "Pioneer" or second division and won the entire competition.

Last year, the team moved up to the top-level "Explorer" division, where results fell short of expectations.

"So far, what we've been doing is we restructured our whole team," Salazar said. "We've really put the focus on the people doing the work, put a focus on our technical teams."

During the competition, teams must complete specific underwater tasks designed to solve real-world problems.

Judges evaluate performance in multiple categories, including pool challenges, engineering design and safety.

As the robot nears completion, the team is also focused on fundraising.

Jackson and Salazar said they have personally paid for some materials while also seeking sponsors and launching GoFundMe challenges, including creative incentives such as cutting or dyeing team members' hair.

The goal is to arrive at the competition fully funded and prepared.

"Obviously, I want to win, right?" Jackson said. "I want to get up on the world stage, and I want to put Clovis Community College on the map again, in the highest class we possibly can."

Those interested in supporting the team's trip to the world championships can find a link to the fundraising campaign by clicking here.

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