GREAT LAKES – The National Museum of the American Sailor welcomes back middle and high school students for the annual SeaPerch competition, which is scheduled for April 9 at Lake Forest Academy.

SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program in which middle and high school students build a remote operated vehicle using a STEM curriculum that teaches basic engineering and science concepts with a marine engineering theme.

Teams of two to five students build an ROV and then compete in two underwater challenges. The museum’s competition is a regional qualifying event for the International SeaPerch Challenge at the University of Maryland in May.

For information about SeaPerch or to purchase kits, visit the SeaPerch website at https://www.seaperch.org/.

Through collections, exhibits and educational programming, the National Museum of the American Sailor celebrates and helps people discover the heritage of the U.S. Navy enlisted sailor. The museum is at 2531 Sheridan Road at Naval Station Great Lakes in Great Lakes. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is free. For information, visit https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmas.html.