Aeronautical Dolphins presents latest design for RWDC

Marianas High School’s Aeronautical Dolphins presented their latest design to the Rotary Club Saipan for their upcoming competition at the Hyatt Regency Saipan yesterday.

The group, who was the 2013 national champion at the Real World Design Challenge, is now doing a kind of a partner plane with their last year’s design which failed to defend their title.

Their 2014 design was an unmanned aircraft system that monitors and assesses crop conditions. This year, their aircraft system is designed to spill pesticide over crops without a pilot guiding it.

“Last year we had the information, know where the infestation is. This year the team has to build a sprayer, not a detector,” said Aeronautical Dolphins mentor John Raulerson.

“The big picture of the fiscal year 2015 Real World Design Challenge is that by the year 2050, there may be an additional two billion people on Earth. And with that additional two billion on Earth comes the need for more production of food,” project manager Ann Margaret Norcio said.

“One of the methods that farmers use to increase the production of food is the application of pesticides on crops that are infested. This all ties in with our aircraft design,” she added.

Their aircraft, called the “Skywalker,” is a 35-foot wingspan remote-controlled plane.

Team members Edna Nisola, Masrur Alam, and Matthew Cao were also at the meeting to present their design as well as the business plan for their unmanned aircraft. Other members Jun Young Kim, Scarlet Chen, and Robert Malate weren’t able to attend.

The seven-member team won’t be personally going to Washington, D.C. in the national competition this November but will be presenting via Skype.

This is the fourth year in a row that the Aeronautical Dolphins won as the Pacific Real World Design champion after beating Guam, American Samoa, and other regional schools.

Aside from being the 2013 national champions, the group was also awarded national merit in 2012.

According to Raulerson, their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics program has been successful not only because of the RWDC but because of its positive effect on the students’ careers.

“This program is very successful. It’s helping these guys propel to the level of they want to do,” Raulerson said.