We are happy to present team OceaNet, the fourth OCC 2021 finalist team that will be presenting their solution at our final event on February 15. In this post, you will learn more about the team and their solution.
Who are the people behind OceaNet?
Olivia: Easton, MA Economics-Finance major with minors in Earth, Environment & Global Sustainability and Spanish. I am super passionate about sustainability and plans to pursue a career in sustainability to make the world more environmentally friendly, climate-resilient, and equitable.
Abby: Syracuse, NY; Creative Industries major with a minor in Chinese; I enjoy spending time reading, listening to music, and studying languages.
Kayla: Plymouth, MA; Management major with a concentration in Global Management and minor in Spanish; My interests include going to the beach, walking my dog, and playing hockey.
McKinley: Henniker, NH; Actuarial Science major with a minor in business studies and Spanish; My background on problems that face the ocean are from nature documentaries and a course at college about the ocean; My interests are learning new things, music, and going to lakes and the ocean.
Arianna Carroll: Randolph, MA. Economics-Finance major with a minor in Law. My interests include going to Lake Winnipesaukee, traveling to Greece, and eating good food!
Tell us a bit about your solution
Our solution, “OceaNet”, is a series of modifications that would be installed on a beam trawl net to make bottom trawling more efficient and environmentally friendly. The product utilizes AI technology to survey the upcoming ocean so that the net can open and close to significantly decrease bycatch and habitat destruction.
Why are you participating in the Ocean Community Challenge?
We applied to the Ocean Community Challenge as part of our Oceanography course in fall 2021. We had the option to just create a mock product/presentation or actually apply. We chose to apply because we were passionate about making an actual difference in ocean preservation. Our oceanography class really opened our eyes and was a call to action, our participation in the Ocean Community Challenge is our answer to that call.