The Titan ROV team from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), sponsored by underwater robotics manufacturer Oceanbotics, secured first place in the collegiate division at the recent National Underwater Robotics Challenge (NURC) in Chandler, Arizona.
Oceanbotics has maintained a long standing partnership with the university, supporting a program that began as a class project nearly a decade ago and has since evolved into a multi generational ROV design passed down to incoming students for continuous refinement. Oceanbotics founder and CSUF alumnus Robert Jechart views the collegiate program as an important talent pipeline for the underwater robotics industry, with the company regularly hiring top team members after graduation.
Hosted by the Firewheel STEM Institute, the annual event promotes underwater exploration while introducing students to advanced manufacturing, 3D printing, and engineering design. The national competition features four entry categories, pre high school, high school, university, and open adult, allowing participants to test custom remotely operated vehicles in realistic operational scenarios. The CSUF team achieved the highest overall score in the collegiate division, earning top marks for technical innovation and mission execution with its custom underwater robot.
Former team member Mohammad Khalil emphasized the transition from academic coursework to direct employment in professional ROV manufacturing, saying, “My experience on the CSUF ROV Team provided a strong foundation for professional engineering, exposing me to the core competencies that define effective engineers — technical design, systematic problem solving, budget management, and cross-functional team coordination. The opportunity to carry forward work developed during my senior project into a professional setting was particularly meaningful, as it demonstrated that my contributions had real, lasting impact from day one.”
