ALPENA — There are several planned events scheduled for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. A brief summary of a couple of them are listed below.

Great Lakes Regional MATE ROV Competition on Saturday

Student teams have spent months designing and building remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to tackle complex missions inspired by real-world ocean and Great Lakes science. This year, they’re plunging into the “Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences,” solving challenges based on Earth’s most extreme frozen environments.

The public is invited to watch custom-built ROVs navigate underwater mission tasks in our Marine Technology Training Tank or relax in our theater while watching the live stream. The event begins at 9 a.m. with awards around 2 p.m. Teams from Alpena, Alcona, Tawas and across the region, such as the Upper Peninsula, Ohio, and west Michigan, will compete. The top placing ranger team will advance to the world competition in Newfoundland this summer.

Community lecture featuring Alpena High robotics team

This lecture will take place at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center at 6 p.m. on May 21 and is open to all. It will feature the UR2 Team, fresh off their competition at regionals, with a possible invitation to the world competition. This team has historically traveled to the world competition, placing in the Ranger category.