Middle school students tried their hands at designing and building underwater robots this week during a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration science summer camp in Seattle.

The remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) project was designed by UW undergraduate student Hannah McConnaughey, who has built ROVs competitively since she was in middle school.

“Hands-on science is great because it’s something students are excited about and can interact with personally, and it has real world applications,” she said.

McConnaughey co-founded the student group Atlantis STEAM, an offshoot of her high school robotics team. Last weekend’s ROV workshop was a joint project by UW-based Washington Sea Grant, NOAA and Atlantis STEAM.