San Diego City College (619) 388-3400   1313 Park Blvd  San Diego, California 92101 

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Christopher-Lorenzo Carter 
Immediate Release: July 26, 2006
Office: 619.628.7103; Cell: 619.628.7103 christophercarter@pacificnautilus.org 
Pacific Nautilus * San Diego City College * 1313 Park Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101 * www.pacificnautilus.org

San Diego City College is 1^st Community College to Compete in Underwater Unmanned Vehicle Competition 

San Diego, CA - - San Diego City College team Pacific Nautilus will compete in the 9th Annual AUVSI and ONR Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Competition on August 2-6 at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) TRANSDEC Facility on Point Loma. 

City College is the first community college team to earn a coveted spot in this international competition sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).  Pacific Nautilus will compete against 21 other teams, including renowned engineering universities Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Duke University, Georgia Tech and Cornell University, and teams from Canada, India and Japan.

To win a place in the competition, 11 City College students designed and constructed a completely autonomous submarine.  The unmanned vehicle is not remotely controlled but programmed to sense its surroundings and to respond accordingly, independent of any external controls by an operator.  The U.S. Navy and other maritime industries use these types of vehicles for research and development.

For more than 30 months, engineering and physic students have been working hands-on in developing every aspect of this project. San Diego City College supported the Pacific Nautilus team through its CACT (Centers for Applied Competitive Technology) and Mecomtronics programs, as well as through the local chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, Dean of the School of Math, Engineering and Technologies, Armando Abina, and Faculty Advisor Professors Dr. Fred Julian, Dr. Michael George and Ron Worley. Team Nautilus sponsors also include City College President Terrence Burgess, Seabotix, MESA, GO Engineer, Microsoft and SOLIS.

City College President Terrence Burgess said, “What an impressive achievement for our City College engineering and physic students to earn their place in this rigorous competition”.

Students have also been writing letters, contacting companies, and appearing on television to raise the $5,000.00 necessary to make this long-awaited dream a reality. Team Advisor, Dr. George said “As an urban community college, our programs and students are financially challenged in ways the larger schools like the Universities of Texas or Florida or MIT do not have to consider. When we couldn’t afford equipment or tools, our team used creativity to solve the problem, such as a trip to the local scrap yard. Now that's real engineering.”

Team Pacific Nautilus is comprised of City College students:
Chris Carter. the Project Leader/Team Captain, Danny Bazo, the Project Manager, and Eric Clampit, Michael Decandia, Sean Krisman, Dayan Parra, Joei Stevens,  Pierre Valdez, Paul Wisecaver and UCSD students Conrad Salinas and Antonio Fernandez,

NBC Channel 7 video interview with students Chris Carter,  Danny Bazo, and Professor Ron Worley

Update! Craft Shows Well in the First Competition!

Team Nautilus Qualifying Times:
Visitors are welcome to attend, and admission is free.  For detailed competition information, please visit www.auvsi.org/competitions/water.cfm

Competition schedule:

Thursday, August 3  9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (practice runs)

Friday, August 4       8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.  (practice runs)

Saturday, August 5   7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.  (qualifying runs)

Sunday, August 6     8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (qualifying runs a.m.; Finals p.m.)

Location:  TRANSDEC Facility (Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center)  on Point Loma. From Rosecrans, turn right on Talbot, then left on Canon, then right on Transdec at 49201-49299 Transdec Rd.