The foundation, for multiple years, sponsored a series of four Capstone Senior Design Projects at Louisiana State University. Each Project is a two-semester program where the first involves design of and the second the manufacture of their design. The first two projects were titled SEATIGER I & II (Subsea Exhibit Able To Integrate Grade level Expectations) and the last two were REACH I & II.

The project description for the first project was “Build us something so cool that when we show up at a school or event, ALL of the students want to come and talk to us. The result was a mobile 1,400-gallon tank and an ROV that the students could fly. SEATIGER has since then participated in over 40 events involving schools, museums, and educational & industry events.

REACH was the result of the donation of 2 ROV arms that were for the first year built into an ROV (with wheels) that was towed to events and demonstrated the capabilities of an ROV. This project inspired the donation of three additional arms, that combined with results of the first REACH formed the basis for a Robotics Lab within the LSU Mechanical Engineering department, and continues to teach every year.

One of the best examples of the value of these projects is not the robotics lab which continues to teach engineering students, or our mascot the SEATIGER ROV that continues to be used to introduce, inspire and educate but the fact that our largest group of active and inspiring volunteers (organizers and educators) came from the students that made up the project teams. Many were so appreciative of the learnings and mentorship that they received that they were inspired to join our ranks as active volunteers for many years.

The SEATIGER projects have become the mascot of the STF education and outreach programs, making appearances throughout the year at schools, museums, and industry events — bringing the world of subsea engineering to life for the next generation.