Brooks Stephenson, a junior in electrical engineering, stood at the front of a classroom in Riddick Engineering Laboratories Tuesday night, explaining how the Baud Rate affects the RS-232 and the role of the IMW – Inertial Measurement Unit. Fifteen students listened attentively, asking questions and offering suggestions as Stephenson moved through the agenda for the second meeting of the Underwater Robotics Club this year.

The club has prepared its robot, Seawolf II, to compete in the AUVSI International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition since 2004. The event is held every summer and attracts competitors from all over the world. N.C. State placed ninth out of 32 challengers in 2006. The president of the club, Stephenson said last year the team had to deal with hardware failures but is staying on track with this year’s model.

The club designs or remodels Seawolf II for each year. William Cox, a graduate student in electrical engineering, said while the changes seem small, they add up.

“That’s the problem with a group of engineers. It’s never right,” Cox said. “You always have to fix it, especially if someone else did it because of course they did it wrong.”

Stephenson leads bi-weekly meetings throughout the year as the team gets the robot ready for competition.

“Hopefully by the spring we’ve written most of our software and have most of our hardware built, so we find a miniature course to put the robot through,” Stephenson said. “We test its ability, and we tweak the results we get from that test.”

In the competition, each robot receives points for how well it navigates different challenges, which all take place underwater. Cox said the group spends a lot of time in pools, especially the one in Carmichael Gymnasium.

“Getting in the pool early and often is the key to success,” Stephenson said.

Someone has to be in the water while the robot is being tested. Jim Simpson, a graduate student in electrical engineering, said one year several students who had no engineering experience were able to participate in the club because of their diving experience. The students were able to be underwater with the robot, monitoring it closely.

According to Stephenson, experience isn’t as important as dedication.

“We have a variety of people with different experiences,” Stephenson said. “Some people have no clue. They thought robotics was a cool word so they came out to the club, and then we have people who have been doing this sort of stuff since they were 13. If you stick with it you’ll definitely have good knowledge of what’s going on.”

Baird Hendrix, a junior in electrical engineering, just joined the club. Hendrix said he hopes to have a career in an aerospace-related field and that his experience with the club will help him get to his dream job of working with spaceships.

“I’ve done some electronics before, some circuit board design, just some hobby stuff, but I’ve never done anything on this scale,” Hendrix said. “I haven’t done a big engineering project or anything like that, and I was hoping I could get some experience here doing that.”

Cox said it’s usually a core group of about five to eight people who end up becoming heavily involved with Seawolf II, working on it and traveling to the competition. He said the experience a club member gains by working on the robot is what really counts after graduation.

“College is not the place to learn hands-on stuff,” Cox said. “You have to get out in the work force and learn it the hard way. You learn while you’re actually doing the project and actually building something. This can push you far, far ahead.”

While no one joins the club just because of the potential job opportunities, Simpson said, being a part of the Seawolf II team can open many career doors, since many of the sponsors of the club are prominent forces in engineering.

Stephenson said the club is sponsored by organizations that have an interest in hiring within the field, but it also receives donations from various sources, such as Bojangles. Additionally, the club receives funds from E-Council of the College of Engineering.

While being a part of the club can provide long-term opportunities, there are immediate benefits as well, Stephenson said. By working on the robot a student can better understand points discussed in related classes. Ultimately, Stephenson said, the experience is invaluable.

“Being in the robotics club for the year and a half I’ve been in it, I’ve picked up a lot of skills that you just don’t pick up in a classroom,” Stephenson said. “It’s good for people to get experience, even if they’re not going into robotics per say.”