SFROBOTICS

06/16/2026

🎉 We've crossed the 60% mark! 🎉

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters, we've now raised $4,200 of our $7,000 goal to help students take deeper into Lake Michigan and beyond.

Every donation—large or small—helps students gain hands-on experience with engineering, robotics, sonar imaging, navigation, freshwater science, and real-world exploration. We're in the home stretch, but we still need your help to get across the finish line.

💗 Any donation makes a difference.
🌊 Support the mission: https://www.gofundme.com/f/pinkrov

Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared our story, and encouraged our students along the way. Together, we're helping students dream bigger and dive deeper.

06/11/2026

We've officially crossed the 50% mark on our fundraising goal for !

To help us reach the finish line, we're looking for 100 people willing to support students with a $25 donation. Every contribution helps provide students with real-world opportunities in engineering, robotics, underwater exploration, and freshwater science on Lake Michigan.

Support the mission: https://www.gofundme.com/f/pinkrov

If you'd rather contribute in another way or know an individual, business, nonprofit, or foundation that may be interested in supporting the project, let's chat. Together, we can help students keep dreaming bigger and diving deeper.

The main Facebook Social Media page of the St. Francis School District Robotics/STEM Program.

06/10/2026

What are we seeing beneath the surface?

These sonar images were captured during recent ROV testing using our Blue Robotics (Image 1) and Cerulean Sonar 450 FS (Image 2). The long streak visible in the scans is the quarry's rock wall, while the feature that appears to look like steps is likely the flotation structure supporting the floating pier.

A third sonar system, the downward-facing Ping1D, confirmed approximately 7 meters (23 feet) of water beneath the surface, giving plenty of room to test systems and collect data during the dive.

As PINKrov continues to grow, we're looking beyond quarries and toward deeper-water exploration opportunities in Lake Michigan. To make that possible, we're currently raising funds for a professional surface power system that will allow our ROV to operate safely and effectively at greater depths.

Every contribution helps students gain hands-on experience with underwater robotics, sonar mapping, engineering, and freshwater research.

Support the mission: https://www.gofundme.com/f/pinkrov

06/07/2026

Congratulations to our SFROBOTICS seniors, Ella and Isaiah!

Thank you for your leadership, dedication, and the hours you've invested in our program. You've helped build something special and have inspired younger students along the way.

We can't wait to see where your next adventures take you. Once a member of SFROBOTICS, always a member of SFROBOTICS.

Good luck, Class of 2026!

06/02/2026

I spy with my little eye... two invasive species from our recent ROV dive at Lakeshore State Park.

Can you spot them?

Hint: One is easy, the bottom is covered with invasive mussels. But look a little closer and you might also spot what appears to be a Round Goby hiding beyond a clump of mussels.

These species have dramatically changed the ecology of the Great Lakes. As we explore underwater habitats with the PINK ROV, we're sure to come across many more examples of invasive species and the role they now play in the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Did you find both?

06/02/2026

We're looking for a $7,000 donation/ sponsorship to help make a final push possible.

We've included this in our past few posts about our ROV program, and we're almost to the finish line. is getting closer to being ready for real-world exploration, from the waters of Lake Michigan to future opportunities in the Caribbean.

Projects like this are only possible because of the support of individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and foundations that believe in hands-on STEM education. We are currently seeking a partner to help fund a professional surface power system that will allow students to safely explore deeper and farther from shore.

This isn't just about equipment. It's about giving students the opportunity to apply engineering, robotics, navigation, sonar, and scientific research skills in authentic environments while exploring and documenting underwater worlds.

If you know an individual, company, nonprofit, or foundation that may be interested in helping students take this next step, We'd love to connect.

06/02/2026

Another day of testing by the lake and another step closer to diving deeper into Lake Michigan, and that day is coming sooner than you might think.

Our student-built continues to make progress as we prepare for open-water testing. Next week, we're hoping to get out onto Lake Michigan for another round of field testing. We're still working with a relatively short tether and a pool-based power system, so we won't be venturing too deep just yet, but every test helps us learn more about operating in a real-world environment.

From testing sensors and navigation systems to refining buoyancy and piloting skills, each trip to the water helps students move one step closer to conducting meaningful freshwater exploration and research.

Projects like this are only possible because of the support of individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and foundations that believe in hands-on STEM education. Right now, we're seeking partners to help us fund a professional surface power system that will allow students to safely explore deeper and farther from shore.

Join organizations like Cerulean Sonar, Dead Calm Seas Marine Services, Blue Robotics, GoPro, the Generac Foundation, and many others who are helping students turn classroom learning into real-world exploration. If you know an individual, company, nonprofit, or foundation that may be interested in supporting student-driven underwater robotics, freshwater exploration, and Great Lakes research, I'd love to start a conversation.

Every test brings us a little closer to answering bigger questions beneath the surface.