Students and faculty from Cal Poly and Harvey Mudd College are spending a month working abroad in Malta, deploying underwater robots with the purpose of mapping coastal shipwrecks and developing new technology for marine archaeology.
Organized through a joint International Computer Engineering Experience (ICEX) program, this summer’s team includes Sam Freed (computer science master’s student, Cal Poly), Amy Lewis (software engineering senior, Cal Poly), Roslyn Patrick-Sunnes (computer science senior, Cal Poly), Jeffrey Rutledge (third-year math major, Harvey Mudd), Jane Wu (computer science and math senior, Harvey Mudd) and Wentao Yuan (computer science and math senior, Cal Poly Pomona). Participating faculty members include Cal Poly computer science Professor Zoë Wood and Harvey Mudd engineering Professor Christopher Clark. The team is collaborating with Timmy Gambin, a senior lecturer in the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta, among other international partners.
The project goals are to develop an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) system for intelligent shipwreck search, mapping and visualization. The team has mapped several sites and has preliminary results identifying likely site of interests. To keep up with the team, check out the blog at: http://icex2017-malta.blogspot.com