Marine Tech
Project Period: July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2011
Target Audience: Middle and High School Students
Funding Source: National Science Foundation ITEST Grant/State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
Funding Amount: $88,746/$13,207
A collaborative project undertaken by Lean Institute at Old Dominion University, ITTIP at Longwood University and funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) has successfully completed year 1 and has recently completed four Saturday Academies during the spring semester of year 2. Twenty Eight students (12 – Mecklenburg, 12- Halifax, 2- Charlotte, 2- Prince Edward) and 8 teachers from four main school systems along with their peers in Chesterfield and Hampton Roads area have completed several activities related to shipbuilding, marine engineering and maritime industry. During year 1, students participated in various project based learning activities including shipyard operations, ship construction, ship stability and ship disaster investigation. They also participated in the instructional modules based on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics concepts especially developed for them. Focus of the second year is “Underwater Vehicles”; this includes various submarines, research vehicles, unmanned gliders etc. Students will build an underwater robot Sea Perch developed by M.I.T. during summer 2010 along with four instructional modules namely Oceanography, Submarines, Force and Motion and Deep Sea Salvage. In 2011 students will be participating in a human powered cardboard ship design competition. As part of the MarineTech project, students visit various places related to shipbuilding, marine and maritime industries during the field trips. They visited Colonna’s and BAE Systems shipyard, Virginia Aquarium and Mariner’s Museum in year 1. Recently students visited Mid Atlantic Maritime Academy (MAMA) in Virginia Beach and participated in hands-on experience on Ship Bridge Simulator and Engine Room Simulator. These real-life experiences were very exciting to them as they were handling the same equipment and instruments that would normally be used by seafarers. Apart from all the technical learning, the MarineTech project provides career counseling to the participating students. Students also get multiple opportunities to interact with industry experts and ask questions about various well-paid career opportunities available for them. Northrop Grumman, Colonna’s Shipyard Inc. BAE Systems Ship Repair, MAERSK Lines are some of the companies supporting this project.
Through ITTIP and Old Dominion University, MarineTech, a NSF funded marine engineering exploration project, is entering its second year. During this summer, students and teachers will work together to build a SeaPerch, an underwater robot. Various instruments, such as camera, temperature probe or a light meter, may be attached to the SeaPerch to collect data.
Related Resources
Website: Marine Tech
