What was it like traveling to Palau?
Traveling to Palau was an adventure. It was a once in a lifetime experience that very few people will ever experience, let alone highschoolers on a mission like we were. Traveling to a beautiful country and having such a meaningful mission was amazing. Having the opportunity to bring home MIA military members and having the chance to bring closer to their families and inform them on what happened and where they lie gives you a feeling nothing else can. Having fun on the boat with your friends/team and working on a mission that means so much to everyone there, it gives you a feeling of happiness and accomplishment but yet sorrow and dedication to bring the flight crew members home to their family.
What was the biggest challenge you or your team faced and how was it handled?
The biggest challenge our team faced was keeping all of our recordings and video organized and easy to find. The team overcame this by working together and by talking to GoPro to find different ways to file and organize our video. This was a large task to do as a result of us having so many GoPros and two DVR’s and was to much for one person to handle so we worked as a group to get it under control.
What was the most memorable part of the trip?
The most memorable part of the trip to me was snorkeling over all of the different sea planes and coral reefs, seeing all of the different colors and life surrounding them. This is the most memorable to me because it is so much different than the wildlife here in Michigan and all of the different colors of fish and coral is breathtaking and amazing. Also the sea planes that we could see from the surface while snorkeling is unlike anything ill ever see anywhere else. The water was so clear we could see the Jake Sea-Plane 80ft down from the surface. That was amazing.
Do you feel the trip was a success, why?
I definitely feel that our trip was a success. I feel this way because although our group didn't find anything on our own, our partner group found two airplanes with MIA crew members linked to them. I also feel as though we raised the bar this yer compared to other years in many ways such as leaving he dock every morning at 9Am and always fixing the robot and having it functional the next day. I feel that we were calm under pressure, handled all of our problems in step by step order, and worked very successfully as a team.
What is the one thing you will remember the most from the trip?
One of the biggest things that ill remember from this trip was my first time ever trying to surf in Hawaii. At first it was extremely hard but once i got the hang of it it was a blast! Surfing was one of the funnest things Ive ever done! Although the water in Hawaii was much colder than that in Palau and felt freezing it was worth it. I had quite a scary run in with a sea turtle that gave me a fright and kept me sitting on my board for awhile not touching the water but it just makes for an awesome story to tell!
If you could do it again would you? Why?
Without a doubt i would go on this trip again. There wouldn't be a thing that could hold me back if i got this opportunity again. This trip was the biggest opportunity Ive had so far and hope that ill continue to get chances like this in the future.
What did you learn about yourself on this trip?
On this trip I learned my true dedication to this project. I learned what this project really means while conversing with the Bentprop team members. I learned how great an outside view of your work can be and how to use criticism to dedicate yourself even more. I learned that even when things get tuff and stop working that i can push through it all and still succeed.
How do you feel this experience will help you in the future?
I feel as though this project has helped me prepare for real world scenarios more than anything else I've ever done. It has taught me things such as time and space management that ill use daily in college and in an actual job. It has also shown me that one can become attached to their work and enjoy and be passionate about it. this experience showed me that work can not only be fun but something you come every day looking forward to and enjoying it.
What should we do differently the next time?
There aren't many things that i would change about the trip this year. I thought we were very successful and that it would be hard to improve. The only thing that I would change is the ROVs electrical system so the tea doesn't need to work out so many bugs.
-Senior Lukas Olson
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