In 2024, a group of 10 middle-schoolers at St. Anne’s-Belfield School emailed a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fish biologist and gear tester, Megan Amico, to ask about on-demand underwater camera systems.
“I often handle outreach like this and was thrilled to connect with future scientists,” she says. Amico explained how the systems work: Special cameras triggered by events like swimming fish are used to quickly identify problems like whales entangled in lobster cages and notify wildlife rescuers.
The kids took the information and ran with it. They created a custom design that blew through regional and state robotics contests and nabbed them a tourney slot in 2025’s FIRST World Robotics Competition. The event was held in Houston, Texas, and featured teams from more than 50 different countries. The students won top honors—and sent Amico their prototype for real-world testing.
“Their camera system truly blew us away,” she says. “These middle schoolers didn’t just build a cool gadget—they developed a tool with real-world applications for marine fisheries research.”
Amico says her team was beyond impressed: “We’re already looking forward to seeing what they come up with next!” StAB.org
Featured photo courtesy of St. Anne’s-Belfield School. This article originally appeared in the April 2026 issue.
