Edmonds College Triton Tech ROV team sets sights on World Championships in Newfoundland
05/27/26
While most college students spent their spring break relaxing, the Triton Tech ROV team at Edmonds College logged 60-hour weeks in the lab. Their goal: preparing for the 2026 MATE ROV (Marine Advanced Technology Education) World Championships, this June 25-27 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
The team’s hard work paid off when they advanced from the MATE ROV Competition Washington - Pacific Northwest Regional on May 9, qualifying for the world competition. For now, the hard work continues as the Triton Tech team fine-tunes its ROV in preparation for the world stage.
The Triton Tech team will represent Edmonds in the international event for the third consecutive year, competing in the "Pioneer" class against colleges from around the globe. The competition, sponsored by the Marine Technology Society (MTS), challenges students to operate as a simulated startup company, designing, manufacturing, and marketing a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) capable of performing complex underwater missions.
“This project creates a community that is stronger than what happens just in the classroom,” said faculty advisor Rachel Brown. “It’s not unlike an athletic team; you create this bond because you’re all working toward a common goal. Our students are putting in 10 to 15 hours a week—I practically have to kick them out of the lab at night.”
This year’s competition tasks mirror real-world environmental science, including simulated coral restoration and plankton sampling. In a first for the program, the 2026 team is also building a vertical profiling float—a tool used in oceanography to record temperature and salinity at varying depths.
“The float is autonomous, which means it needs power on board and must be able to control itself without a tether or camera,” said Sarah Abdullah, the team’s CEO and a mechanical engineering student. “You send it to do its mission and just expect it to do what it needs to do. It’s a massive technical challenge, but it’s how we learn to bridge the gap between our degrees.”
A History of Success and a Call for Support
Edmonds College has established a rapid trajectory of success in the MATE ROV circuit. In its inaugural year, a last-minute team built an ROV from PVC pipe and placed fifth in its category. Last year, the team traveled to Michigan and finished ninth in the world.
Despite their success, the team has faced significant hurdles. After a global supply chain issue delayed delivery of critical components, the ROV is now fully assembled and undergoing water testing. Funds are always an issue, but the team has reached its goal of covering the cost of materials and travel for the 10-student squad, thanks to a generous donation from the Student Government and other contributors. As the team noted on its crowdfunding page, “Every dollar brings us closer to competing with top colleges around the world and bringing home a win for Edmonds College.”
The community can still support the Triton Tech ROV team through the Edmonds College Foundation’s crowdfunding platform. Donations directly fund essential equipment and students' travel expenses.