Marine Technology Society Teledyne RDI`s success spurs MTS

Transcription

Marine
Technology
Society
News from the Marine Technology Society
MARCH/APRIL 2 0 0 9
What’s new
■
MTS executive director connects to Congress
I
Wind Workshop
Program Highlights
Page 3
Drilldown from
Section VP
Page 4
Discus Buoy
Deployment
Page 13
Thanks for the
Scholarship!
Page 17
VOLUME 32, NO. 2
Chris Barrett and Rich Lawson visit
Capitol Hill to promote MTS.
n line with the Strategic Plan
and its mission, MTS continues
to position the society and its
members as the go-to source
for expertise on marine technology issues. Most recently,
MTS launched a pilot program
with the help of the Capitol
Hill outreach firm International Government Relations
(IGR). In February, accompanied
by IGR’s Jeffrey Taylor, Executive
Director Rich Lawson began
the program by meeting with
staff members of six congressmen: U.S. Representatives
Pete Olson (R-TX), Michael T.
McCaul (R-TX), John Culberson
(R-TX), Gene Green (D-TX),
Al Green (D-TX) and Steve
Scalise (R-LA). Olson and
McCaul are on the U.S. House
Science and Technology Committee. Culberson is on the
Commerce, Justice and Science
Subcommittee. Rep. Gene
Green is on the House Energy
and Commerce Committee.
Lawson said that he will
eventually meet with the staff
of every congressperson who
is on a committee concerned
with areas of interest to society
members. “We’re focusing on
See MTS ED on page 7
Teledyne RDI’s success spurs MTS Board to act
In this issue:
MTS Conference News 2
Society News 4
Members & Others in the News 5
Section News 7
Professional Committee News 8
Business News 9
Science and Technology News 13
Education News 17
Legislative News 18
Resource News 18
Ocean Community Calendar 19
Marine Technology Society, Inc.
5565 Sterrett Place, Suite 108
Columbia, MD 21044
410-884-5330
410-884-9060 Fax
www.mtsociety.org
T
The success of Teledyne RD
Instruments’ sponsorship of
100 MTS student memberships
has spurred the MTS Board of
Directors to create a matching
program. Anyone pursuing a
degree at a two- or four-year
institution of higher learning
is eligible for the new membership program, which is also
aimed at 100 students. “Teledyne’s program has been a
huge success,” MTS Executive
Director Rich Lawson commented after the 100th student
signed up. “We had more
interest than we could accommodate and this inspired the
MTS Board to act.”
Darryl Symonds, Teledyne
RDI’s director of marine measurements product lines,
was enthusiastic about the
program. “To these students
we’d like to say, ‘Welcome to
the industry—and get ready
for an amazing journey!’ Teledyne RD Instruments was truly
honored for the opportunity
to sponsor 100 MTS student
memberships. Among the 200
plus employees at Teledyne RD
Instruments, there are plenty
of seasoned professionals who
bring a wealth of industry
knowledge to our organization,
but they are complemented by
a tremendous mix of young,
talented go-getters. Together,
we’re able to pool our talents
to continuously enhance and
improve our organization
to meet the evolving needs
of the industry. This sponsorship is our way of thanking
and encouraging the young
See Teledyne on page 7
MTS launches first workshop
The Marine Technology for Offshore Wind Power Workshop marks the beginning of an exciting new
educational program for MTS. This event is scheduled for June 29–30. Please see page 3 for details.
Conference News
Currents, published bimonthly,
is a membership benefit of the
Marine Technology Society, the
leading multidisciplinary society for
marine professionals.
Individual membership is $75.
Life membership is a one-time
$1,000.
To join MTS, visit the Web site
at www.mtsociety.org or e-mail
suzanne.voelker@mtsociety.org.
Send information for Currents to
publications@mtsociety.org.
2009 Offshore Technology Conference
May 4–7
Houston, Texas
www.otcnet.org/2009
Registration for OTC .09 is now open. You may also sign up to receive e-mail updates about OTC .09
programs and events from OTC News. This year, the OTC Bookstore will be located on the
exhibit floor in Reliant Stadium. Don’t miss this opportunity to purchase books from OTC’s
sponsoring societies and avoid costly shipping charges. OTC hosts an array of breakfasts
and luncheons that showcase presentations from industry leaders. Seating is limited, so
purchase tickets early.
The deadline to get items in the next
issue of Currents is April 15.
DYNAMIC POSITIONING
Send address changes to suzanne.
voelker@mtsociety.org
October 13–14
Houston, Texas
www.dynamic-positioning.com/next_conference.html
OFFICERS
President
Elizabeth Corbin
ecorbin@dbedt.hawaii.gov
A Call for Papers has been issued. The deadline for abstracts is May 1. The deadline for papers is
September 1. Early registration for the conference has opened and is $450 for MTS members and
$550 for nonmembers.
President-Elect
Jerry Boatman
jboatman@psistennis.com
OCEANS’09 MTS/IEEE Biloxi
Immediate Past President
Bruce C. Gilman, P.E.
Bruce.gilman@mtsociety.org
VP – Section Affairs
Kevin Hardy
kevin_hardy@deepsea.com
VP – Education and Research
Jill Zande
jzande@mpc.edu
VP – Industry and Technology
Jerry C. Wilson
jwilson@fugro.com
VP – Publications
Karin Lynn
Dklynn2@comcast.net
Treasurer and VP – Budget
and Finance
Debra Kill
debbi.kill@ise.bc.ca
VP – Government and Public
Affairs
Karen Kohanowich
mtskohanowich@hotmail.com
Executive Director
Richard Lawson
rich.lawson@mtsociety.org
Editor-in-Chief
Susan Branting
publications@mtsociety.org
Ocean Technology and Our Future:
Global and Local Challenges
October 26–29
Biloxi, Miss.
www.oceans09mtsieeebiloxi.org
The OCEANS’09 Conference promises to be one of the most exciting OCEANS conferences ever.
For the first time, the conference is offering a Career Fair—slated for October 26—to all exhibitors
and attendees at no cost. New sponsoring opportunities are also available:
• Sponsor-A-Student will help expand the student poster competition
• High School Outreach gives local seniors a chance to see marine data in action
• The inaugural Career Fair provides a forum for employees and potential employers to meet
• Transportation lets you put your company's name on conference buses.
Along with the core conference topics, OCEANS’09 includes four additional topics focused on local
interests: Operational Oceanography, Ocean Observing Systems, Coastal Restoration and Hurricane
Katrina: Lessons Learned.
Don’t miss the deadlines: Submit abstracts, poster abstracts, and tutorial proposals on the Web
site by June 1. Final papers are due August 15. When submitting an abstract, you are asked to
indicate a topic. A list of Ocean Conference topics corresponding to the MTS Professional
Committees is at www.mtsociety.org/pdf/conferences/OceansConferenceTopics.pdf. Please send
a copy of the abstract to the respective MTS committee chair whose name is on the list, so that
he or she can track the abstract.
Advertising Information
Currents is sent to all national and international MTS members and is also on the MTS Web site,
which is accessed by over 400,000 visits per year. For more information about prices, contact
publications@mtsociety.org. NOTE: The publisher reserves the right to reject copy that fails to
meet the standards of taste and fair statement that Currents follows.
Currents MARCH/APRIL 2009
2009 Marine Technology for
Offshore Wind Power Workshop
®
Join your professional colleagues at the first
technology-focused wind energy workshop in the
U.S. The two-day program will examine real-world
installations from Europe, address U.S.-specific
industry issues and provide unparalleled
education of technology applications for siting,
installation and maintenance of offshore projects.
MAGAZINE
MTS Renewable
Energy
Professional
Committee
PROGRAM CHAIRS
Tom McNeilan, Fugro Atlantic
Hank Lobe, Teledyne RD Instruments
Bob McClure, BioSonics
June 29–30
ORGANIZING SPONSORS
Marine Technology Society’s
Renewable Energy Committee,
Fugro, Sea Technology Magazine
Doubletree Hotel Crystal City
300 Army Navy Drive
Arlington, VA 22202
TOPICS
n
National Overview and Forecast from an Executive Level
Overview of Technology Issues Addressing Current
Technologies and Their Trends
n
Case Studies Presented from the Offshore European Coalition
n
Costs Associated with Creation of Offshore Wind Development
n
Environmental Information for Offshore Wind Development
n
Siting Considerations
n
Structure and Foundation Concepts and Design
n
Land vs. Marine Installation
n
Technical Session – Power Transmissions
n
MTS Strategy Moving Forward
n
Interested in Attending... Exhibiting... Sponsoring?
Visit www.mtsociety.org/conferences/windworkshop.aspx or call Chris Barrett at (410) 884-5330
Society News
Onboard meeting gets budget/finance VP “up to speed”
T
he process of handing over
the responsibilities for the
financial health of MTS ran
smoothly this year thanks to
an idea of President-elect
Jerry Boatman, who stepped
down as MTS treasurer and VP
of budget January 1.
At Boatman’s suggestion,
an “Onboard Meeting” was held
in Washington, D.C., in January
to introduce the new treasurer
and VP of budget and finance,
Debra Kill, to the society’s
key financial information and
the vendors who are involved
with it—auditor, accountants,
investment advisor and lawyer,
as well as Jeffrey Taylor, senior
vice president at the Capitol
Hill outreach firm International
Government Relations (IGR).
Taylor graciously offered
the use of IGR’s conference
D ri l l down
From the MTS
Leadership
Kevin Hardy
O
VP-Sections
K, it’s about time we heard the good news. In this whole wide world, what nation ranks
highest in innovation and competitiveness? All recognized UN nations were assessed by the
Swiss business school IMD.
Number 1 and still the champion: U.S.A.
Yes, times are tough, and we have our work cut out for us. One part of the campaign is
strengthening our profession. MTS publishes a Section Manual to provide guidance to new
section officers. It’s a start, but there is also a need for local members to step up and help set
up local meetings, write a section report for Currents, promote a plan of succession to develop
upcoming officers and honor local members for their contributions to the industry and common
well being. We’re in this together, and there are plenty of good ideas being developed in every
section. Let’s talk.
In looking for best practices, we can look at what works for other societies. One section has
a five-year plan setting dates for everything from board meetings to newsletter copy-due dates.
Rather than stifling innovation, they feel they have more time to recruit speakers and follow
through on event planning. Some sections have a calendar that includes plant tours, Saturday
seminars, dinner meetings, picnics, raffles at dinners and other motivating events. Some see
membership growing even in a down economy, perhaps because membership seems imperative. Another section adds non-members to its e-mail roster to boost attendance and recruit
new members. Funds raised are pumped back into their sections. San Diego has its high school
student internship program. Houston has it famous BBQ. Partnering with the MTS ROV Committee, several sections host an ROV event for students.
Sections will receive a “How To” guide for organizing a local Saturday seminar, showcasing
local expertise, educating members, expanding the regional network, and raising funds for
other section activities.
We acknowledge and thank our corporate sponsors who generously support their local sections.
This year will be a turn-around year for small business and manufacturing in the U.S., and
MTS will do its part for the marine community. It’s exciting to be on the leading edge of that
wave with the most competitive and innovative members of this society. There are many ways
to contribute to your profession and in doing so gain an equal measure back for yourself. It’s
strange math, but it works.
We are fortunate to have recruited the talents of Lisa Medeiros (Houston Section), Member
Groups Manager Mike Hall, Executive Director Rich Lawson, and the entire MTS Board of
Directors in considering how we might refine, or even redefine, our ability to pursue the best
interests of every member.
Let’s get to work and make good things happen. n
room for the all-day meeting.
The meeting was scheduled so
that MTS President Liz Corbin,
who happened to be in town
on business from her home
in Hawaii, could attend. Also
present were MTS employees
Executive Director Rich Lawson
and Director of Professional
Development and Meetings
Chris Barrett, as well as
Boatman.
The discussion about the
roles and responsibilities
of Kill’s position included
financial, legal, audit and tax
obligations of the society,
including IRS Form 990, an
annual report that tax-exempt
organizations must file with the
IRS to provide information on
mission, programs and finances.
“Everything we do now is in
the context of the Strategic
Plan,” noted Lawson, “and this
sort of efficient handoff ramps
up the executive leadership
very, very quickly—talking
about Strategic Plan initiatives,
responsibilities of the board of
directors, where we are with
the stock market. It’s just good
fiduciary management.”
Kill found the meeting to
be very fruitful. “It gave me
a chance to get up to speed on
society business and finance
issues currently being worked
on and to meet the team
working on them. The bonus
was seeing the team have
things well in hand, and I look
forward to using my finance
background to assist in meeting
the challenges ahead.” n Support your
industry!
Donate to MTS
Scholarships.
www.mtsociety.
org/shop
Members and Others in the News
Sylvia Earle wins TED Prize
and wish to save the ocean
A
s one of three winners of the TED Prize
this year, MTS member Sylvia Earle could name
one wish at the Technology, Entertainment and
Design (TED) Conference in early February.
Introduced at the Awards Program by former
Sylvia Earle
Vice President Al Gore, Earle, currently explorerin-residence at the National Geographic Society, said her wish
was to urge people to “use all means at your disposal—films!
expeditions! the Web! more!—to ignite the public support for
a global network of marine protected areas,” which she refers
to as “hope spots large enough to save and restore the ocean,
the blue heart of the planet.” The TED Prize carries a $100,000
award and a promise to help recipients make their wishes come
true. Following her talk, a number of people in the audience
and online expressed their intent to help Earle achieve her wish.
The day before she received her award, producer Jake Eberts had
screened some raw footage of an upcoming documentary on ocean
life by Jacques Perrin (the director of the film Winged Migration),
and Eberts announced that he and Perrin would put their film to
use to help Earle achieve her wish. Perrin’s film will open in the
U.S. in the spring of 2010. Suggestions for ways to make Earle’s
wish a reality are listed on the TED Web site at www.tedprize.
org/sylvia-earle, along with a link for sending offers to help. n
Horizon Marine Promotion
MTS member Patrice D.
Coholan has been named
president of MTS member
Horizon Marine, an oceanographic services company in
Marion, Mass. Previously she
was vice president of Eddy
Watchtm Operations. Coholan
plans to lead Horizon Marine’s
business expansion into global
markets and increase the company’s capabilities. James W.
Feeney, founder of Horizon
Marine and an MTS member,
will continue his role as chief
executive officer.
Teledyne RDI Move
Ron Hippe has moved from MTS
member Teledyne RD Instruments’ field service department
to a sales engineer position on
the sales/marketing team. He will
focus on continuing Teledyne RDI’s
entry into the renewable energy
market, assisting wave, tidal
and offshore current energy
developers to select and apply
current-profiling and wave-
Currents measurement products for offshore renewable applications.
S&J Diving Adds Three
MTS member S&J Diving has
added three positions to its
staff. Gerald Hart is manager
of business development.
Hart has 30 years of worldwide
work experience in the oil and
gas industry, an education
in electronics engineering
technology and extensive
knowledge of offshore operations. John Joly is assisting
with project coordination and
business development. Joly
has 30 years of experience in
oilfield construction. Chad
W. Wilson joined the staff
last October as a member
of the project management
support team. He is development coordinator. Wilson’s work history includes
four years in the Navy, marine
engineering division, eight
years of commercial diving
and four years as company
representative-inspector.
MARCH/APRIL 2009
David Marchetti
Giovanni Escobar
Schilling Adds Two
MTS member Schilling Robotics
has expanded its Houston
regional office team with the
addition of David Marchetti as
regional operations manager,
and Giovanni Escobar as
regional sales manager. Marchetti
brings to Schilling over 20 years
of experience in diverse management, product development,
and manufacturing. Escobar
has over six years of experience in industrial automation
products and services.
New NOAA
Director
The chair of
the Marine
Geodetic
Information
Systems
Juliana P. Blackwell Professional
Committee,
David Zilkoski, retired as
director of NOAA’s Office of
National Geodetic Survey and
has been replaced by Juliana
P. Blackwell. As the first
woman to head the nation’s
oldest federal science agency
(established by President
Thomas Jefferson in 1807),
she will oversee NOAA’s
responsibilities for the nation’s
spatial reference system.
See Members on page 6
In Memoriam
Dr. Johannes Arnold Kylstra, a 1970 winner of the MTS
Lockheed Martin Award for Science and Engineering and an
expert in pulmonary physiology and liquid breathing, died
December 16 in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the age of 84.
Besides the prestigious MTS award, Kylstra’s research in
breathing oxygenated liquid earned him U.S. Department of
Defense funding and a photo essay in Life magazine in 1967.
After working for the Dutch Nazi-resistance movement during
WWII, Kylstra received a doctorate in physiology from the
University of Leiden in the Netherlands and began research
on dogs and mice that showed they could breathe and be kept
alive while submerged in an oxygenated saltwater solution.
A similar experiment with a human volunteer led to the 1970
award. He joined the faculty at Duke University in 1965,
where he worked until 1989. That same year marked
the opening of the James Cameron deep-sea, sci-fi film
“The Abyss,” for which Kylstra served as a consultant.
J. Lamar Worzel, a pioneering geophysicist and engineer who
helped shape human understanding of how sound travels through
the oceans and who cofounded Columbia University’s LamontDoherty Earth Observatory, died December 26. He was 89.
A frequent sailor in submarines and ships, Worzel improvised
complex new measuring instruments out of spare parts and
household objects in the 1930s, a time when scientists had only
primitive concepts of deep marine seabeds, currents and acoustics.
He and colleagues investigated the makeup of sediments in
the Atlantic by exploding homemade bombs in the depths and
reading the echoes. Their discoveries helped World War II
submarines elude enemies, guided Cold War sub detection and
provided tools for charting the earth’s crust and climate.
Members and Others in the News
continued from page 5
IODP-MI President
The German Geophysical
Society has awarded the
Wiechert Medal of DGG to IODP
Management International
(IODP-MI) President Manik
Talwani. The award is given
to a scientist who has made
outstanding contributions to
the field of geophysics. IODPMI is a nonprofit U.S. corporation with an international
membership of academic insti-
tutions committed to scientific ocean drilling research.
Talwani is stepping down May
15 after five years as president and will be replaced by
Dr. Kiyoshi Suyehiro, currently executive director of
research at the Japan Agency
for Marine-Earth Science and
Technology (JAMSTEC).
PowerBuoy CTO
Ocean Power Technologies
appointed Phil Hart as chief
See Members on page 7
Welcome New Members
MTS is pleased to
welcome the following
professional members:
Canada
Clarence Button
Tom Donovan
Diane Howse
Dwight Howse
Puerto Rico
Wilford Schmidt
California
Mark Collis
Scott Fraser
Chad W. Whelan
Washington, D.C.
Robert B. Gagosian
Florida
Kate Ciembronowicz
Kevin A. Meier
Mitchell A. Roffer
Hawaii
Brian S. Bingham
Louisiana
Deepwater Rental
and Supply
Jeff Foster
Massachusetts
Faith Ball
Butch Cardiasmenos
Grant Johnson
Martin Lewis
Joseph Rappisi
William Stark
Mark Whalen
Doug Williams
Maryland
Charles James Wheeler
Michigan
Steve Ruberg
Mississippi
Lee McCoy, Jr.
Thomas P. Wissing
Jennifer M. Wozencraft
Texas
Robert M. Almeida
Brent Boyce
David Bradbury
Sen. Steve Buechner
Stuart Cameron
Jacob Chacko
Pauline Gallien
Jan Tore Linstad
Eric C. Maier
Miguel A. Martinez
Jeffery Measamer
Lisa Robinson
Jake Snowden
Ian Speirer
David G. Stables
Subsea Engineering
Solutions, Inc.
Ben L. Tillison, Jr.
Andrew Trent
Paul Vanderlinden
Brett Warren
Chungfa Wu
Pieter Wybro
Derek Zhang
Virginia
Marshall D. Earle
Fugro Atlantic
Osman El Menchawi
Tom W. McNeilan
Sally McNeilan
Tom McNeilan
Kevin Smith
Stephen M. Workman
Washington
Michael T. Einhorn
Robert Gliege
Mark Roland Koenig
Nicholas Martin
MTS is pleased to
welcome the following
students:
Canada
Jake Bragg
Leanne Brockerville
Stephen Crewe
Gina Marie Doyle
Rowan Dale Fox
Mark Flynn
Mikhail Freeman
Andrew Furneaux
Justin Higdon
David Hornell
Jonathan Howse
Scott A. Jasechko
Alanna J. Krepakevich
Adam Lewis
Cara Manning
Chris Neville
Wally Picco
Andrea M. Price
Renee Quick
Jonathan Watson
Croatia
Buga Berkovic
France
Nejma Garnier
Portugal
Mofizur Rahman
United Kingdom
Beshlie Lucinda Pool
United States
Jacquelene Merie Allahar
Belynda Alonzo
Tiffany L. Anderson
Christopher Aschliman
Brenda Leroux Babin
Chad Matthew Barber
Charles M. Barr
Christine N. Bedore
Megan Blackburn
Frankie Brown
Jorge B. Bustamante
Felix Cantu
Mark L. Carter
Catherine C. Caruso
Ivona Cetinic
Andrew Cheung
Jeremy Childress
Andrew Chin
Chad Chirhart
Richard Coleman
Brian J. Colman
Travis A. Condit
Erin E. Cooper
Zack G. Covell
Collin Michael Crecco
Alexander R. Davies
Michael E. Demmer
Chelsea Marie Didinger
Colin P. Dismuke
Audrey Djunaedi
Jessica L. Donald
Laura H. Dover
Kelly Dunn
Regina Easley
Bryce Edwards
Gerardo Toro Farmer
Jennifer Faught
Matthew B. Ferrell
Natasha N. Ferrer-Perez
Parker L. Field
Clare M. Fieseler
Michael Finkelshteyn
Yvonne Firing
Aaron C. Forester
Simon E. Freeman
Chelsea Combest Friedman
Mario Gabiati
Nicole Galase
Nathan D. Garza
Martin Gassmann
Allison M. Gibson
Matthew L. Gildner
Amy Gillan
Philip J. Gonzales
Michael David Gonzalez
Alexander M. Grant
Basil Lee Hacker, Jr.
Giovanni Hanna
Lori Hanson
Cathy E. Henderson
Marissa A. Henrikson
Eric Heupel
Christopher S. Johnson
Amelia M. Jones
Thomas Kearney
Gerard P. Kaufman
Ryan A. Keel
Monica Kerr-Riess
Lorren J. Kezmoh
Jennifer Kay Kisabeth
Oliver B. Kleinenberg
Talina H. Konotchick
Tim Lam
Daniel Austin Lane
James M. Lightfoot
Jacob D. Little
Michelle K. Loquine
Jessica Lee Lucas
Morgan E. Marmitt
Harvey Edward McBee III
Evan J. McClung
Bradley D. McCollum
Danielle Marie McKelvey
Christin D. McLemore
Abel Jose Medellin
Michael Messina
Ahna Miller
Luz Molina
John M. Moore IV
Jennie Mowatt
Elizabeth Murphy
Emily Nahas
Jacob Ng
Hoainam Tiffany Ngo
Robert M. Noble
Nicholas Novosad
Chudong Pan
Ryan M. Phillips
Remington Xavier Poulin
Glenn P. Powell
Catherine M. Preston
Adam M. Ramsey
Timothy Allen Ray
Carrie Rebhuhn
Currents Ben Reineman
Max Reitblatt
Colton Retzloff
Jason Rice
Perla Rivera
John R. Rizzuti III
Cameron Roberts
Roxanne R. Robertson
Nichole L. Roost
Eduardo Javier Sanchez
Brianna Schilling
Eric Schmitt
Stephanie Schroeder
Maddie L. Schroth-Miller
Kevin See
Danaka C. Shaver
Marcus Allen Sherrouse
Danielle Silver
Tyler Evan Smith
Skot H. Snelling
Angel Soria
Maria Stefanovich
Rebecca A. Stombaugh
Christopher J. Sullivan
Andy B. Thi
Katherine Touzinsky
Linda Tran
Paul Angel Trevino
Kristan Uhlenbrock
Matthew B. C. Unger
Jagruti Vedamati
Bernice Villanueva
Karen V. Villanueva
Britannia Vondrasek
Sally J. Warner
Robert T. Weekly
Andrew J. Wheeler
Jonathan Wike
Aneese Jeneé Williams
Michelle HA Wong
Brian Yannutz
Carmen Yeung
MARCH/APRIL 2009
Section News
Hawaii
You can access the presentations given at the section’s January
dinner meeting on the Hawaii Section’s Web page at www.mtsociety.org/communities/sections/hawaii.aspx. MTS members Dr.
Patrick Cross, Dr. Philomene Verlaan, and Joe Van Ryzin gave
the presentations, which were on, respectively, (1) ocean gliders
for acoustic monitoring of marine mammals, (2) the environmental code for marine mining and (3) ocean thermal energy
conversion activity in Hawaii.
During the January meeting, MTS President Liz Corbin was on
hand to introduce Verlaan, with TCI-Hawaii, Inc., as the interim
section chair and to talk about the society’s outreach initiatives,
including the goal of having 20 student sections by the end of the
year (there are currently 10), and the work of International Government Relations, the firm MTS has hired to manage government
and public affairs outreach. Interim Chair: Philomene Verlaan,
tcipav@yahoo.com
Houston
Scholarships for high school and college students sponsored by a
Houston Section member are available. The deadline to apply is
April 30. At the Houston Section luncheon in January, David Holt
with HBW Resources discussed the “State of the Energy Industry
and Policy.” In February, the section heard Bob Buck of Anadarko
talk on “Maximizing Production from Independence Hub.”
The section also held its annual Sporting Clays Tournament in
February, which raises money for its scholarship program and
provides a great opportunity to socialize and network.
San Diego
The San Diego Section met in January to socialize and hear a
talk by MTS member Scott Cassell on “Homboldt Squid and the
Undersea Voyage Project.” In February, a representative of the
San Diego Oceans Foundation spoke.
Texas A&M-Galveston
The student section has returned home after a stint at Texas
A&M-College Station following Hurricane Ike. According to MTS
Council Representative and section Chair Jacob Foster, everyone
was “excited to be back home.” He noted that while the city has
a long way to go before it is back to normal, the school buildings
were little affected, so classes have returned to normal. The section’s first meeting of the semester hosted about 25 students.
Members elected a new vice-chair—Kris Flores, a junior and
maritime systems engineering major—because the previous
vice-chair stayed at College Station. Despite the difficult circumstances last semester, the section managed to stay active.
Ten students attended the Houston Section Barbecue, a group
volunteered at the Houston Section’s Sporting Clays Tournament,
and five attended the Society of Naval Architects and Marine
Engineers conference. In February, the section invited Dr. Tim
Mundon, business manager of the Houston offices of H.R. Wallingford, to speak on ocean renewable energy. n
MTS ED
staffers because they do the
background work—the heavy
lifting—for their employers.
We want them to know that
marine technology is important
to ocean issues and that they
can turn to MTS for expertise as
they debate public policy.” MTS
will provide that expertise with
the help of the sections and
business members, and through
the Experts Directory.
Lawson said MTS would
canvas sections to find out
what businesses dominate their
geographic areas. “We want
to connect a district’s representative in Congress with
the concerns of the section in
Teledyne
men and women who have
decided to enter the exciting
field of marine technology. As
an industry, we all need their
energy, talents and contagious
enthusiasm to continue the
amazing work that’s being done
in this field. We’re certain this
next generation will continue
to raise the bar and push the
limits of our emerging research
and technology.”
While most of those taking
advantage of the Teledyne RD
Instruments program were from
U.S. institutions, there were a
number from Canada and one
each from China, Portugal and
Croatia.
Members
technology officer. Hart will
be responsible for the company’s advanced technology
development, including the
that district.” MTS business
members whose senior leadership are planning to visit
the D.C. area are encouraged
to contact the MTS home
office if they are willing to
lend their expertise on the
Hill. In addition, the society is
revamping its Experts Directory.
“When Katrina hit New Orleans,
no one called MTS,” Lawson
said. “We intend to change
that.”
MTS always welcomes individuals who are experts in
their fields into the Experts
Directory. Contact Mike Hall,
member groups manager, at
michael.hall@mtsociety.org,
(410) 884-5330, to submit an
application for inclusion in
the directory. Applications are
vetted to ensure expertise. n
At least one student wasted
no time taking advantage of
his new membership, said
Member Groups Manager Mike
Hall. According to Hall, within
an hour of becoming a member,
University of Victoria student
Scott Jasechko sent him an
e-mail: “I’m all signed in and
very impressed. I am highly
interested in gas hydrate
research and have found a wonderful set of nice proceedings
with some great material!
Thank you very much!”
Students interested in taking
advantage of the new oneyear membership offer should
contact Marketing and Membership Manager Jeanne Glover at
jeanne.glover@mtsoicety.org,
(410) 884-5330. n
development of the next generation of PowerBuoy systems
and directing ongoing research
programs. Hart served at
Global Marine Systems, leading
Global Marine’s research and
development efforts. n
Professional Committee News
Marine Education
Dr. Susan (Sue) Cook is the
new chair of the committee.
Cook is the education director
for the C Division of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership
and serves as the principal
investigator for NOAA and NSF,
supporting the National Ocean
Sciences Bowl. Her plan as
chair is to help MTS become
more actively involved in the
challenge of improving 21st
century science, technology,
engineering and mathematics
(STEM) education. She noted
that the society can do this
most effectively by serving as
a catalyst to encourage individual and corporate members
to serve as role models for
young people and resources for
K-16 educators. “Our collective
work in this arena should
seek to complement (not
duplicate) the efforts of more
academically focused ocean
societies. MTS should also
remain actively involved in
the recently formed Ocean Sciences Education Collaborative
(OSEC) group for professional
and scientific societies, for
which I am co-principal investigator and co-chair.” Cook’s
goals for the coming year:
(1) Encourage the marine education community to continue
to participate in OCEANS conferences via session talks and
workshops for regional educators. Toward this goal, she
is working on plans for a
technology-focused professional development program
for Central Gulf Coast educators the weekend before the
2009 conference. (2) Survey
MTS members interested in
education about their current
educational activities and
future needs. Possibly offer
a workshop or tutorial at
OCEANS conferences on current
national and regional efforts
to address dwindling student
interest and achievement in
STEM education and careers.
(3) Work with the MTS home
office to interest section and
students section members
in serving as mentors. (4)
Increase awareness of MTS
scholarships and promote the
MTS/MATE publication Guide to
Marine Science and Technology
Programs in Higher Education.
(5) Expand and enrich the
education section of the MTS
Web site so that all members
and the interested public can
become more aware of the
society’s educational accomplishments. Full details of her
goals are on the committee’s
Web page at www.mtsociety.
org/communities/procommittees/education.aspx. Chair:
Sue Cook, scook@oceanleadership.org
Jim Irish
Oceanographic
Instrumentation
The Oceanographic Instrumentation Committee has a
new chair, Dr. Jim Irish. Irish
earned a B.A. in physics at
Antioch College, and an M.S.
and a Ph.D. in Oceanography
from the Scripps Institution
of Oceanography. Now retired
from WHOI, he is working
part-time at the University of
New Hampshire on back data,
assisting students with their
observational research and
continuing with moored measurements in the Gulf of Maine.
His goals for the committee
include (1) Planning special
theme instrumentation sessions at the OCEANS meeting
to highlight new developments
in ocean observing technologies; (2) holding meetings
of government sponsors, university and institutional personnel, and industry to help
the process of bringing new
sensors and sensing systems
into being (possibly as part of
the ocean observatory initiatives); (3) helping organize
special instrumentation issues
of the MTS Journal and other
printed matter such as brief
notes in Currents; (4) consulting with the instrumentation community to see if
there are the interest and
resources to start an Instrumentation Workshop;
(5) getting mid-career people
more involved with the instrumentation committee management. For full details on
plans and opportunities, visit
the committee’s Web site at
www.mtsociety.org/communities/procommittees/instrumentation.aspx. Chair: Jim
Irish, jirish@whoi.edu
Remote Sensing
Calling all members of the
remote sensing committee—
your help is needed! As previously reported, the remote
sensing committee has agreed
to help pull together several
sessions for the OCEANS’09
MTS/IEEE Biloxi Conference in
October. Herb Ripley, committee chair, is requesting that
committee members send him
suggested topics for possible
sessions. He is also looking for
volunteers to head up some
of these sessions. To become
involved, please e-mail him
at herb@hyperspectralimage.
com. The Call for Abstracts will
soon be announced for this
conference, so please don’t
delay in submitting your ideas.
Ripley is also looking for a few
volunteers to work with him
and Vice-Chair Stefano Vignudelli on creating new MTS
remote sensing posters.
Volunteers will help to develop
the technical information on
sensors and platforms that will
be displayed on the posters.
One poster will focus on airborne sensing systems and the
other on satellite platforms
and sensors.
Underwater Imaging
Dr. Fraser Dalgleish is the
new elected chair of the
committee. He is assistant
research professor and founder
and director of the Ocean Visibility and Optics Laboratory
at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida
Atlantic University. Dalgleish
holds a doctorate and master’s in ocean engineering from
Cranfield University (U.K.) and
a bachelor’s in electronics and
electrical engineering from the
University of Edinburgh.
During his term as chair, Dalgleish aims to accomplish two
things. First, he will invite
representatives from within
industry, government and
academia to identify areas of
common interest that could
lead to operationally or commercially viable technologies. With the firm belief
that successful innovation
means ending up with a useful
product or technology, he
intends to engage all interested parties to envision
future technologies and the
potential markets that could
be served.
Secondly, he would like to
encourage problem-solving
dialogues. Expect to see
announcements and plan to
attend workshops aimed at
advancing communitywide
understanding of performance
issues with available underwater imaging hardware
and effective use of simulation design tools. Suggestions for additional topics
are encouraged. Chair: Fraser
Dalgleish, FDalgleish@HBOI.
edu n
Business News
Welcome Deepwater Rental
Deepwater Rental and Supply
of New Iberia, La., is a new
business member of MTS.
Among its rental equipment
are ROV tooling and diving
products. It also represents
the Bowtech’s underwater
cameras and lights, and Lynn’s
video enhancement products.
Web link: deepwater-rental.com
Fugro Atlantic Joins
Welcome to new business
member Fugro Atlantic.
Located in Norfolk, Va., Fugro
Atlantic is the eastern U.S.
operating company of Fugro
N.V., which specializes in the
collection and interpretation
of data from and below the
earth’s surface. Fugro Atlantic
offers the complete range of
Fugro data collection, survey,
geotechnical engineering,
GIS and related services on
land and off the coast of the
eastern seaboard of the
United States. Web link:
www.fugroatlantic.com
SES Is New Member
SES – Subsea Engineering
Solutions, Inc., is a welcome
new business member of MTS.
Based in Houston, Texas,
and Shanghai, China, SES is
a global subsea engineering
company founded in April
2008. The company provides subsea front-end engineering and design, detailed
design, integrity management
and engineering consulting
services to operators in the
global oil and gas industry.
Web link: www.subseaengineeringsolutions.com
Subsea 7 Honored
Congratulations to MTS
member Subsea 7, which was
recognized in February for
excellence throughout its
business and operations when
it was named Subsea Company
of the Year at the 2009 Subsea
UK Business Awards. Finalists
Currents were judged on growth
in the last year, national
and international profile
and reputation, business
and technical excellence,
commitment to staff training
and development, and
commitment to safety and the
environment. Subsea 7 has
been awarded a contract by
Venture Production to manage
the integrity of its subsea
assets in the North Sea. The
work scope includes data management, system review and
development, engineering
analysis, specialist services
such as field life extension,
and feature assessment (the
technical assessment of
inspection results). This is the
first integrity management
services contract that Subsea
7 has won. Subsea 7 and MTS
member Technip have agreed
to dissolve their joint venture,
Technip Subsea 7 Asia Pacific
(TS7), once all its existing
projects and tendered work
have been completed. Technip
and Subsea 7 worked together
on significant projects in the
Asia Pacific region for several
years. With the expected continued growth of the deepwater subsea construction
market in the region, the
parties now wish to pursue
separate strategic development opportunities, but
this does not exclude working
together on a case-by-case
basis on future projects.
Facilities Expansion
MTS member OceanWorks
International has relocated
and expanded its Canadian
office to a new 37,000-squarefoot facility in Burnaby,
British Columbia. Located at
#120 – 6741 Cariboo Road, the
new facility has a 75 percent
increase in available space
and houses an indoor freshwater test tank, pressure test
facility, machine shop, ESD
safe electrical assembly area,
MARCH/APRIL 2009
Now Is the Time To Publish or ...!
John Flory
MTS JOAB Representative
N
ow is the time to submit abstracts for technical papers to be
presented and published at the OCEANS’09 MTS/IEEE Biloxi Conference in Mississippi on October 27 to 29.
Why would you want to do a thing like that?
When you publish a technical papers about your work (or
pastime), you bring it to the attention of others, who then
benefit from your experiences and findings. Think how you’ve benefited from information provided in other people’s papers and how
this has enhanced your ability to do a job or to conduct further
research and development. Don’t you think it is about time to
pass it along?
Publishing will help bring you recognition and might help with
a promotion (or help retain your present job in these hard times).
And it might help you find another job when that time comes.
It is especially helpful if you want to go it alone as a consultant
or as part of a new startup.
You also benefit your company. A technical paper about a
new product or procedure has more credibility than just another
brochure or press release. But caution: OCEANS Conference papers
should not be commercial in nature.
So what should you do?
Prepare an abstract, about 500 to 1,000 words, describing the
intended technical paper. Focus on what is important and unique
and why it is of value to others in your field. Then log on to the
OCEANS Call for Papers at www.oceans09mtsieeebiloxi.org and
submit the abstract.
Many MTS Professional Committees organize OCEANS conference technical sessions. So be sure to designate the appropriate category for your paper.
If you need help or advice, contact your Professional Committee
chair (Go to www.mtsociety.org/communities/committees.aspx.)
The deadline for submitting your abstract is June 1. If your paper
is accepted, the deadline for submitting the paper is August 15.
“We hope to see and hear y’all in Biloxi!”
high-voltage test laboratory,
large vehicle-assembly area
and over 5,000-square-feet of
excess warehouse for storage
and future expansion. Web
link: www.oceanworks.cc
ICA Fluor Contract
The Mexico-based industrial
construction joint venture
company ICA Fluor of MTS
member Fluor Corporation
was awarded a $51 million
contract by Pemex Exploration
and Production for the con-
struction of two lightweight
offshore platforms for the
Cantarell production field in the
Gulf of Mexico. The contract
was booked into the backlog
in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Fluor has assisted in the successful startup of production
Platform B, one part of Peng
Lai (PL) 19-3 blocks’ Phase 2
project located in China’s
Bohai Bay. Bohai Bay’s PL 19-3
oil field Platforms D and E are
See Business News on page 10
Business News
expected to come online in
2009. The operation of these
platforms is expected to boost
the oil development of the
field located off of China’s
northeast coast. Fluor has provided engineering services
throughout the project, which
includes conceptual engineering, front-end engineering
and design and detailed engineering. Fluor has also provided
procurement services for three
wellhead platforms and construction support in fabrication
yards in Shanghai, Tanggu and
Singapore. Engineering and
procurement were performed
from Fluor’s global execution
centers in Houston, Shanghai
and Manila in the Philippines.
Web link: www.fluor.com
Interest in Schilling
FMC Technologies acquired
a 45 percent interest in MTS
member Schilling Robotics for
$116 million. In addition, FMC
Technologies has the right to
exercise an option over the
two-year period beginning in
2012 to acquire the remaining
55 percent of the company.
FMC Technologies manufactures and supplies subsea production systems. Schilling
Robotics produces ROVs, ROV
manipulator systems, control
systems, and other equipment
and services for oil and gas
subsea exploration and production. Web link: www.
schilling.com
First STEP
Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess
has been fitted with the
Hyde Guardian ballast water
treatment system, making it
the first ship accepted into
the U.S. Coast Guard’s Ship
Technology Evaluation Program
(STEP). The purpose of STEP is
to facilitate the development
of effective ballast water
management technologies to
10
create more options for vessel
owners seeking alternatives
to ballast water exchange.
The STEP Acceptance means
that the Coral Princess will be
allowed to discharge properly
treated ballast water from the
Hyde Guardian system anywhere along its route in the
U.S. for the life of the ship.
The system uses no chemicals
or other active substances, is
compact and has a fully automated design that includes
an auto-backflushing filter
that removes sediment and
larger plankton, and a UV disinfection system that kills
or inactivates the smaller
organisms and bacteria.
Web link: www.hydemarine.com
Malaysian Contract
MTS member J P Kenny’s
Wood Group Sdn Bhd has been
awarded a contract by Sabah
Shell Petroleum for subsea
integration and follow-on
engineering works for the
Gumusut-Kakap Deepwater
Development located 120
kilometers offshore Sabah,
Malaysia. The four-year contract is for the provision of
specialist subsea engineers,
engineering studies, design
and follow-on engineering
supports through to the fabrication and commissioning
phases of the project.
Web link: www.jpkennyhouston.com
InterMoor Anchors Unit
MTS member InterMoor has
anchored a mobile offshore
drilling unit and preset anchors
for a tender-assist drilling rig
for Chevron subsidiary Cabinda
Gulf Oil offshore Angola.
InterMoor provided design,
engineering, procurement and
installation services for the
permanent preset moorings at
the Tombua Landana location
and the Tombua South drill
center. The company also
handled the fabrication of an
Saab Seaeye’s ROV helps a fake shark rehearse for its big scene in a Bollywood movie.
18-meter suction follower and
various installation aids that
were required for the installation of suction-embedded
plate anchors (SEPLA) at the
Tombua Landana location.
The project marks the first
time SEPLA anchors and a
polyester preset, which will be
installed in mid-2009, were used
offshore Angola for Cabinda
Gulf. Polyester lines specifically designed and fabricated
for the Tombua Landana site
will be attached to the preset
SEPLAs and anchor chain using
subsea mooring connectors.
The preset system will then
be used to hook up and moor
the tender. Web link: www.
intermoor.com
Seaeye Shark Control
When the Bollywood movie
LUCK was filmed in South
Africa, a Falcon ROV from MTS
member Saab Seaeye was
strapped beneath a giant 4.2meter-long latex and poly-
urethane replica of a tiger
shark, then sent to eat luckless
victims trying to escape a
sinking container. The realistic swimming motion of the
shark and its violent attack
were accomplished by ROV
pilots Steve Wilkinson and
Nicolas Stroud of Marine Solutions. Although small and
compact, the Falcon was powerful enough to maneuver the
400-kilogram model in both a
swimming pool and the open
ocean, which required balancing the buoyancy for compensating between sea water
and fresh water. Web link:
www.seaeye.com
DVLs and Gliders
MTS member Ashtead Technologies Offshore has added
eight additional Workhorse
Navigator Doppler Velocity
Logs (DVLs) from MTS member
Teledyne RD Instruments to
See Business News on page 11
Business News
its existing global lease pool,
bringing its total number of
available DVLs to 44. The DVLs
are used around the world for
precision underwater navigation applications. Teledyne
Webb has delivered a vehicle
simulator for training purposes to the NATO Undersea
Research Centre in La Spezia,
Italy, and has received a
delivery order for four Slocum
gliders. The contract includes
an option for up to three additional systems over a threemonth period. The Slocum
glider is an autonomous
underwater vehicle that is
driven by a variable buoyancy
system as opposed to a traditional propeller. Carrying a
wide variety of sensors, the
vehicle can be programmed
to patrol for weeks at a time,
surfacing to transmit its data
to shore while downloading
new instructions at regular
intervals. Web links: www.
ashtead-technology.com,
www.rdinstruments.com
MCS Signs Contract
Maritime Communication
Services, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Harris Corporation, has signed a strategic
agreement with CSnet International to collaborate on
the marketing, design, development and operation of
ocean observing systems. The
systems will be used for exploration of energy resources,
monitoring of pipelines and
reservoirs, marine science,
warning of seismic events and
monitoring of infrastructure
security. CSnet’s Offshore
Communications Backbone
(OCB) consists of a network of
power and fiber optic cables
and sensor ports connected
to a surface communications buoy. The communications backbone provides global
users with a pre-engineered,
Currents expandable system that can be
deployed—and redeployed—
anywhere in water depths of
up to 3,000 meters. The MCS
Ocean Net® buoy will serve
as the command, control and
data backhaul for CSnet’s OCB,
providing reliable data transmission of up to 2 megabits
per second in high seas and up
to 2 kilowatts of power to the
sea floor.
Need for LNG Terminals
The newest Annual Energy
Outlook report from the
U.S. Department of Energy,
developed under the George
W. Bush administration,
concluded that natural gas
imports to the U.S. will
diminish by 2030 to just 3
percent from the current 16
percent as more domestic
natural gas supplies are
developed. The forecast adds
that use of natural gas for
industry and homes will be flat
for at least the next 20 years.
Combining more domestic
supply with flat usage means
there will soon be virtually no
need for foreign-based supplies of gas. Some people
believe that this will lead to a
drop in the need for offshore
LNG terminals.
7,000 Wind Turbines
Vast wind farms offshore
Britain could hold the
potential to provide electricity
for almost every home in the
U.K., according to a study by
the Department of Energy and
Climate Change, which said
the seas off the British coast
have the capacity to site up to
7,000 more turbines. The claim
was made in a new assessment
of the impact of further development in offshore wind, oil
and gas licensing and natural
gas storage. Experts considered the likely effects on
wildlife, including birds and
seals, and industries, including
shipping and fisheries.
MARCH/APRIL 2009
Contract for DOF
Subsea service company DOF
Subsea UK has been awarded
a contract by Apache North
Sea Ltd to provide integrated
subsea construction services
on the Forties field. The contract is for the subsea installation of nine Impressed
Current Cathodic Protection
(ICCP) systems on the Forties
field platforms and involves
all aspects of DOF Subsea’s
services, including installation
engineering, vessels, remotely
operated vehicles and survey.
The ICCP systems are designed
to protect the offshore installations from corrosion and
are retrofit designs supplied
by Deepwater Hockway. The
value of the installation contract is estimated to be around
£2 million (US$2.9 million).
Installation engineering was
to start in early 2009, with
the offshore execution phase
expected to take place during
August. Web link: www.geoconsult.no
Odyssey Finds Victory
MTS member Odyssey Marine
Exploration has discovered
the H.M.S. Victory, a British
warship that sank in the
English Channel in a fierce
storm in 1744 while leading
a fleet of warships to rescue
a Mediterranean convoy
blockaded by a French fleet
in Lisbon. The find was kept
under wraps for nine months
and was just announced in
conjunction with the airing
of “Treasure Quest” on the
Discovery Channel. The show
focuses on Odyssey’s exploits
as a treasure hunter. Odyssey
released a 46-page analysis of
the wreckage. Web link: www.
shipwreck.net
Deepwater Billions
A study published by energy
business analyst DouglasWestwood forecasts that the
deepwater oil and gas sector
will spend $162 billion over
the period 2009 to 2013. West
Africa, the Gulf of Mexico
and Brazil will account for
about 75 percent of the global
expenditure, according to the
report. Commenting on the
report, “The World Deepwater
Market Report 2009-2013,”
Douglas-Westwood Oil and
Gas Manager Steve Robertson
said, “The bulk of deepwater
developments are being led by
major oil companies and wellplaced NOCs that we believe
will not be hit by the economic downturn and turmoil
in the debt markets to the
same extent as most smaller
players.”
Robust Propellers
A Welsh company, Tidal Energy
Limited, will test a 1 megawatt tidal turbine off the
Pembrokeshire coast big
enough to supply around 1,000
homes. It will be the first tidal
device in Wales and become
fully operational in 2010. To
ensure the propeller and electricity-generation systems
are as tough as possible,
the tidal turbine’s designers
worked with MTS member
Converteam, a company that
designs propulsion systems
for ships. The goal is to create
more robust propellers than
those used for wind turbines.
A single DeltaStream unit has
three propeller-driven generators that sit on a triangular
frame on the seafloor, rather
than being anchored to the
floor as many systems are. The
company also claims that its
turbines are lighter than other
systems. Web link: www.tidalenergyltd.com
Tyco Connects
MTS member Tyco Telecommunications has entered a
contract with the Federated
States of Micronesia TelecomSee Business News on page 12
11
Business News
munications Company and the
Marshall Islands Telecommunications Authority for the
deployment of extensions to
the HANTRU1 Cable System
currently under construction
between Kwajalein, Republic
of the Marshall Islands, and
Guam in the western equatorial Pacific. The extensions,
planned for completion in
2010, will provide high-bandwidth connectivity between
both island nations and the
rest of the world via state-ofthe-art undersea fiber optic
links. The extensions to both
Pohnpei and Majuro will be
made up of fiber pair segments from optical add/drop
multiplexing branching units
serving a dedicated fiber pair
on the HANTRU1 trunk. When
integrated into HANTRU1, each
island extension will have
direct connectivity back to
Guam. The dedicated Micronesian fiber pair will have an
ultimate capacity to transmit
16 10-Gigabit wavelengths.
Because Guam is a regional
node, FSM and MINTA will have
a variety of onward connectivity options. Web link:
www.tycotelecom.com
Subs Communication
Lockheed Martin has been
awarded a $35.8 million contract by the U.S. Navy to
design and produce antenna
buoy systems that will significantly expand the communications capabilities of
submarines while they are
submerged. Almost half of the
development work will be done
at the Marion, Mass., facility
of MTS member Lockheed
Martin Sippican. Under the
contract, a Lockheed Martinled industry team will develop
three types of expendable
communications buoys: two
submarine-launched tethered
buoys that provide real-time
12
chat, data transfer and
e-mail capabilities via either
Iridium or UHF satellites;
and an untethered, acousticto-radio frequency gateway
buoy that can be launched
from a submarine or maritime
patrol aircraft to enable twoway data transfer between
a submerged submarine and
surface assets. The contract
also includes production of
associated shore and onboard
equipment needed to support
the systems. If all options
are exercised, the cumulative
value of the contract is estimated at $177.9 million.
Web link: www.sippican.com
Kongsberg Sponsorship
MTS member Kongsberg
Maritime signed a fiveyear research and education
agreement with the Norwegian
University of Science and
Technology in February. The
agreement is based on sponsorship of one professorship
within marine cybernetics
at the Department of Marine
Technology. Three Ph.D. scholarships will be connected to
the professorship, which the
university will be responsible
for continuing once the fiveyear sponsorship agreement
is completed. Web link:
www.km.kongsberg.com
Wave Buoy Snaps
With the snap of a mooring
line, Resolute Marine Energy’s
test of its wave energy buoy
ended before it could begin in
January. Bill Staby, CEO, said
currents were unexpectedly
strong, ending the test before
the wave converter made
it into the water. While the
system could be used with offshore wind farms to even out
power surges, its first use will
be powering aquaculture pens.
Steve Page, CEO of Ocean Farm
Technologies, the lead manager
on the project, has developed
a 64-foot, 3,600-cubic-meter
cage made of polyethylene and
wire mesh to grow fish deep
in the ocean. “As finfish aquaculture moves into deeper
ocean sites, we will need sustained, autonomous sources of
power,” Page said. The pens,
designed to be moored at a
stationary site, could use the
energy the wave converter
creates to power auto-feed
systems, lower the cage, or in
the future, power propellers
to move the cage from place
to place. Web link: www.resolute-marine-energy.com
More Wells, Less Oil
The Norwegian Petroleum
Directorate reports that more
exploration wells were drilled
on the Norwegian continental shelf in 2008 than ever
before. Despite the increase in
wells drilled, production still
declined. Overall, the oil production curve for Norway continues to decline. However,
in 2008 oil production was
almost 4 percent higher than
the Norwegian Petroleum
Directorate’s forecast, the
agency reported.
Blue Energy Funding
Four projects aimed at helping
the U.K. achieve the country’s
targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions were
given the goahead by the
Energy Technologies Institute
as part of a potential £1.1
billion fund; the four projects
will receive about £20 million.
Three of the projects will focus
on designing cutting-edge offshore wind turbine technology,
while the fourth will demonstrate a new commercialscale tidal turbine. Funding
for the projects comes from
the government and from the
six private-sector partners—
BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy,
E.ON, Rolls-Royce and Shell.
Rolls-Royce plans to begin
testing an ocean-tide turbine
this summer. The company, in
conjunction with Tidal Generation Limited, designed a
half-megawatt system. A larger
1-megawatt version, developed
with other partners, including
EDF Energy and E.ON (EON.L),
will begin test in roughly 18
months. Ric Parker, director of
research and technology for
Rolls-Royce, said the company
is spending about 5 percent of
its research and development
budget on clean energy technologies, including tidal power
and fuel cells.
Sonar Startup
The Estonians who founded
Skype have started a company,
InkSpinTwo, that is developing a digital forward-looking
sonar, which company CEO
Arno Rannaste said would
enable two-dimensional, realtime images of what’s underwater in front of a vessel going
up to 20 knots. He said that
most similar technologies work
only when speed is a maximum
of 7 or 8 knots and do not
create real-time images. The
Estonian Sonar technology,
developed by hydrography specialist Peeter Ude, has many
competitors, including Reson,
Kongsberg, Thales, BlueView
and EchoPilot. Web link:
www.sonar.ee
Finavera Waves Goodbye
Vancouver-based Finavera
Renewables has filed applications to surrender its Federal
Energy Regulatory license for
the Makah Bay Wave Energy
Pilot Project in Washington
and the Humboldt County Preliminary Permits for a proposed wave energy project in
California. The company will
instead focus on developing
its wind project portfolio in
British Columbia and Ireland
through partnerships or joint
venture agreements.
Web link: www.finavera.com n
Science & Technology News
Discus Buoy Deployment
The new chair of the Oceanographic Instrumentation
Committee, Jim Irish, has
been focusing his professional
efforts lately on an updated
ocean observatory. The photo
shows the start of the third
deployment of the NOAA/
PMEL MAP-CO2 subsystem in
a University of New Hampshire discus buoy in the Gulf
of Maine. This buoy is now
deployed with a met package,
including a Gill WindSonic
anemometer; KVH compass;
and Vaisala air temperature,
relative humidity and pressure
sensors. Seawater measurements including a Sea-Bird
MicroCAT surface temperature
and salinity sensor, an Aanderaa Optode oxygen sensor,
MTS member WET Labs’
FLNTUs chlorophyll fluorometer
and optical turbidity sensor,
and CDOM fluorometer at 40
meter depth on the mooring
line, and an autonomous SAMICO2 sensor (Sunburst Sensors)
and MTS member Aanderaa’s
Optode monitor lower water
column dissolved gases and
temperature. A vertical string
of Onset Tidbit temperature
sensors extends down from
the surface to 50 meters at
3-meter steps. The primary
measurement package in the
buoy is a full MAP-CO2 sensing
system measuring atmos-
Currents pheric and surface oceanic
CO2 and oxygen concentrations at three-hour time
steps and reporting back daily
to PMEL via Iridium phone.
The surface sensors are all
powered by four 40-watt PB
solar panels, which charge
four 42-ampere-hour AGM batteries through regulators. The
data system for all surface
sensors (except MAP-CO2) is a
Watchman500™ system (Axys
Technologies), which records
10-minute averages of all
data on compact flash and
also telemeters them to shore
hourly via FreeWave spread
spectrum radios. The system
has been deployed for about
three months of a planned 18month deployment, continuing
a time series that began in
May 2006. Spring and fall servicing includes pulling the buoy
aboard the University of New
Hampshire R/V Gulf Challenger,
and cleaning and changing
sensors to limit biofouling.
Principle UNH people on this
program are Doug Vandemark,
Jim Irish, and Shawn Shellito,
along with Chris Sabine and
Stacy Maenner at NOAA/PMEL.
Funding comes from NOAA
and NSF.
World Ocean Day
June 8 is World Ocean Day. The
concept was first proposed in
1992 by the Government of
Canada at the Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro. Although not
yet officially designated by the
United Nations, an increasing
number of countries mark June
8 as an opportunity each year
to celebrate the world ocean.
The Ocean Project, working
closely with the World Ocean
Network each year, helps to
coordinate events and activities with aquariums, zoos,
museums, conservation organizations, universities, schools
and businesses. Web link:
www.theoceanproject.org/
wod/wod_about.php
MARCH/APRIL 2009
Algal Hot Spot
A part of the Strait of Juan de
Fuca, which separates Washington state from Canada’s
British Columbia, is a potential
“hot spot” for toxic algal
blooms affecting the Washington and British Columbia
coasts. Marine scientists found
that under certain conditions,
toxic algal cells from an offshore “initiation site” break off
and are transported to nearshore areas, where they may
trigger harmful algal blooms
that ultimately force the
closure of Washington state
shellfish beds along beaches.
Albanian Shipwrecks
Archaeologists are discovering that the Ionian Sea off
Albania holds a treasure trove
of lost shipwrecks dating back
2,500 years. “Albania is a tremendous untapped [archaeological] resource,” said Jeffrey
Royal, a U.S. archaeologist
from the Florida-based RPM
Nautical Foundation, which
is leading the first archaeological survey of the seabed.
“With what we’ve discovered
until now we may say that
Albania is on a par with Italy
and Greece.” The latest expedition has revealed traces of
four sunken Greek ships dating
from the sixth to the third
century BC, while another
three suspected sites have
still to be verified. “The discoveries are very important
because of the lack of properly
documented objects from that
period,” said Andrej Gaspari,
a leading Slovenian underwater archaeologist. “The only
ships found and documented
from that time belong to the
western Mediterranean and
Israel, so our knowledge of the
technology for construction of
ships is limited.”
Little Power Supplies
Using materials known as
“piezoelectrics,” Tahir
Cagin, a professor in the
Artie McFerrin Department
of Chemical Engineering at
Texas A&M University whose
research focuses on nanotechnology, has made a significant discovery in the area
of power harvesting—a field
that aims to develop selfpowered devices that do not
require replaceable power
supplies, such as batteries.
He and his partners from the
University of Houston have
found that a certain type of
piezoelectric material can
covert energy at a 100 percent
increase when manufactured
at a very small size—in this
case, around 21 nanometers in
thickness. When materials are
constructed bigger or smaller
than this specific size they
show a significant decrease
in their energy-converting
capacity, he said.
Chikyu Repairs
While the Japanese deep sea
drill ship Chikyu is undergoing thruster repair work at
Kobe’s Rokko Island, Chikyu’s
lab staff have been reevaluating their onboard sample
analyses methods. Chikyu’s
next IODP expedition, the
Riser/Riserless Observatory
1 of NanTroSEIZE Stage 2, is
to include riser drilling for
the first time in the history
of scientific ocean drilling.
During riser drilling, in
addition to core samples,
scientists will collect drill
cuttings, valuable sample
material from deep below
the seafloor. In an ongoing
review of laboratory work,
CDEX has introduced measurements of cuttings into the
offshore work flow. Because
the cuttings are heavily contaminated by drilling mud
that accumulates on them
during transport down the
drill pipe and back through
See Science & Tech on page 14
13
the riser fairing, lab staff are
now trying to establish the
best way to clean the samples
for scientific measurements.
Every step of the process is
being reviewed to improve the
operation of future scientific
expeditions.
Japan Nearshore
Japan’s Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry plans to
explore around 62,000 square
meters of its seabed over the
next 10 years in search of oil
and natural gas. The plan will
concentrate on certain areas
in the country’s exclusive economic zone at less than 2,000
meters. A survey vessel of the
Agency for Natural Resources
and Energy will gather data,
and when enough has been
collected, the ministry will
test drill, probably in 2010 or
later. An advisory panel to the
economy, trade and industry
minister agreed to include
the exploration plan into a
program on marine energy and
mineral resources development
that the ministry is drawing
up. The panel also agreed
that in fiscal 2012, Japan will
begin experimental drilling in
its waters to extract methane
hydrates.
Fish Guts
Fish produce from 3 to 15
percent of the oceans’ calcium
carbonate in their guts
according to research published in Science. Until now,
scientists have believed that
the oceans’ calcium carbonate,
which dissolves to make seawater alkaline, came from the
external “skeletons” of microscopic marine plankton. Fish
are, therefore, responsible for
contributing a major but previously unrecognized portion
of the inorganic carbon that
maintains the ocean’s acidity
balance.
14
Pedal-Powered Sub
An inventor from Georgia,
U.S.A., and a marine biologist from West Chester University in Pennsylvania have
teamed up to attempt a transatlantic voyage in a humanpowered submarine. Inventor
Ted Ciamillo plans to pedal
nearly 2,000 nautical miles
from the Cape Verde islands to
Barbados at a depth of around
two meters, surfacing at night
to sleep under a tent erected
on top of the sub, according
to New Scientist magazine.
The body of the 5-meter-long
vessel has a stainless steel
frame, a polycarbonate shell
and a dolphin-fin propulsion
system made from aluminum
and titanium. It will operate
as a “wet” sub, full of water
at all times. Buoyancy is provided by PVC foam packed into
the shell and from air bladders
that can be filled or emptied
to keep the vessel at the
desired depth.
N.J. Shelf Expedition
Officials from the European
Consortium for Ocean Research
Drilling Science Operator
have a contract in place for
the New Jersey Shallow Shelf
expedition. The lift boat is
scheduled to be mobilized
for the expedition at a U.S.
East Coast port (to be determined) beginning in late-April.
Following mobilization, the
expedition is expected to set
sail in early-May. Web link:
www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/313/313.htm
Flock of Sensors
A University College London
spinout has launched a versatile wireless sensor network
inspired by the behavior of
creatures that act together,
such as flocks of birds, termite
mounds or beehives. Senceive’s
Flatmesh product allows hundreds of sensors to form a
robust, non-hierarchical radio
An inventor plans to take this pedal-powered sub on a 2,000-mile trip.
network “mesh,” where each
unit communicates with its
neighbors rather than via
central routers. In the same
way as a “biological network”’
of a mass of animals acts
together, simple rules applied
to each component part allow
behavior more intelligent than
the sum of its parts. The SelfOrganizing Collegiate Sensor
Networks (SECOAS) project
deployed a dense network of
sensors mounted on buoys
in the North Sea to monitor
factors such as the turbidity.
Each buoy carried a shortrange radio—just enough to
get to the next two or three
buoys. Senceive overcame
early battery-life problems by
building tight synchronization
schedules into the wireless
network. Each sensor wakes up
for a few milliseconds every
10 seconds or so, collaborates with its neighbors, then
goes back to sleep if nothing
untoward is reported. They
also report back on battery
status and give plenty of
advance notice when they
need to be replaced.
Hay, a Solution
Making bales with 30 percent
of global crop residues—the
stalks and such left after harvesting—and then sinking
the bales into the deep ocean
could reduce the buildup
of global carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere by up to 15
percent a year, according to
Stuart Strand, a University of
Washington research professor.
That is a significant amount
of carbon; the process can be
accomplished with existing
technology and it can be done
year after year. Further, the
technique would sequester
the carbon in seafloor sediments and deep ocean waters
for thousands of years, he
said. Thirty percent of the
world’s crop residue represents 600 megatons of carbon,
which if sequestered in the
deep ocean would reduce the
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 4,000 megatons
of carbon to 3,400 megatons
annually, Strand said.
SO2 Not CO2
Sulfur dioxide emitted from
volcanoes and from burning
fossil fuel is the primary initiator of global climate change,
according to Dr. Peter L. Ward,
a retired U.S. Geological Survey
scientist who continues to
study the earth and its environment through his own
company, Teton Tectonics.
“Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas compounding global
warming, but it is not the initiator of climate change,”
according to Ward. He concluded that sulfur dioxide
emissions regulate the ability
of the atmosphere to clean
itself by oxidizing greenhouse
gases.
See Science & Tech on page 15
Scientists Sign Warning
More than 150 leading marine
scientists from 26 countries are calling for immediate action by policymakers
to reduce CO2 emissions
sharply so as to avoid widespread and severe damage to
marine ecosystems from ocean
acidification. They issued this
warning in the Monaco Declaration, which is based on the
“Research Priorities Report”
developed by participants at
last October’s second international symposium on The
Ocean in a High-CO2 World,
organized by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission, the Scientific Committee on Oceanic
Research, the International
Atomic Energy Agency and the
International Geosphere Biosphere Programme, with the
support of the Prince Albert
II of Monaco Foundation and
several other partners.
Fuel-Cell-Powered Ships
The shipping industry could
start powering its fleets
with fuel cells in three years’
time but it could be up to
30 years before all existing
engines are switched over
to such low-carbon technologies, according to Dr. Zabi
Bazari, ship energy services
manager for Lloyd’s Register
Marine Consultancy Services.
According to Lloyd’s Register,
there are already many lowcarbon options available now
that can be incorporated into
designs for new ships. Bazari
said that energy savings as
high as 40 percent could be
achieved by using new technologies. Looking at other
ways to reduce ships’ carbon
emissions, he said hulls could
be designed to reduce hydrodynamic resistance, and propellers could be modified to
reduce energy loss.
Currents Poles Share Species
The Census of Marine Life
reported in February that
it had documented 7,500
species living in the Antarctic and 5,500 in the Arctic,
including several hundred that
researchers believe could be
new to science. In one of the
biggest surprises, researchers
said they discovered dozens of
species common to both polar
seas—separated by nearly
11,000 kilometers. Most of the
new discoveries were simpler
invertebrates. The discoveries
are the result of a series of
perilous voyages conducted
during the International Polar
Year, 2007-2008.
Nile Dam Helps Fish
The damming of the Nile
River in 1965 has had the
unintended consequence of
increasing the landings of
fish in coastal and offshore
Egyptian waters more than
three times pre-dam levels.
Historically, the Nile flooded
the delta every fall, carrying
nutrients to the sea. The
Aswan High Dam stopped the
flooding and the fishery collapsed, but fisheries have since
rebounded because of the
increased use of fertilizers to
replace the nutrients and the
increase in population with the
accompanying increase in the
dumping of sewage. A doctoral
student at the University of
Rhode Island Graduate School
of Oceanography demonstrated
that 60 to 100 percent of the
current fishery production is
supported by nutrients from
fertilizer and sewage.
Pyrrhalta beetle larvae, which
also use surface tension to
propel themselves. Since it
requires no moving parts,
the method should be more
robust than those involving
propellers and may use just a
hundredth of the power. This
could be ideal for extending
the working life of cheap,
environment-sensing robots
that roam the world’s oceans.
A video explanation is on New
Scientist’s Web site at www.
newscientist.com
Smoother Wind Power
A way to make wind power
smoother and more efficient
that exploits the inertia of a
wind turbine rotor could help
solve the problem of wind
speed variation, according
to research published in the
International Journal of Power
Electronics. Researchers in the
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,
Power Electronics and Motor
Drives Laboratory, University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, have
devised a control method that
can mitigate power fluctuations using the inertia of the
wind turbine’s rotor as an
energy storage component.
They have created a braking
control algorithm that adjusts
the rotor speed so that when
incoming wind power is greater
than the average power, the
rotor is allowed to speed up
so that it can store the excess
energy as kinetic energy rather
than generating electricity.
This energy is then released
when the wind power falls
below average. This approach
precludes the need for
external energy storage facilities, such as capacitors, and
the additional infrastructure
and engineering they entail.
Whale-Inspired Air Foil
The leading edge tubercles
on humpback whale flippers
are the model for a new kind
of air foil from WEICan, the
WhalePower. Previous mathematical and wind tunnel
studies had demonstrated that
leading edge tubercles create
a new kind of air foil. WEICan
tested the bio-mimetic air foil
in unsteady air on a rotating
platform, in this case a Wenvor
Technologies 25-kilowatt
turbine with a 10-meter span.
WhalePower retrofitted two
Wenvor blades with tubercles
on the outer 60 percent of
their leading edges. The
WEICan tests did not directly
measure the engineering feasibility or the tubercle fabrication durability, but focused
on the performance of the new
airfoil in a real world setting
on a commercial turbine. Nevertheless, in all these categories, the blades performed
admirably, according to WhalePower officials. n
Water-Tension Power
A scientist at the University
of Pittsburgh, Penn., has
developed a model boat that
is driven by water surface
tension, the same force that
allows some insects to skate
across the surface of a pond.
The design was inspired by
MARCH/APRIL 2009
15
MTS SCHOLARSHIPS
MTS is pleased to offer these
outstanding scholarships.
For MTS Student Members:
n
n
n
n
$2,500—Charles H. Bussmann
Undergraduate Scholarship
$2,500—Charles H. Bussmann
Graduate Scholarship
$1,000—John C. Bajus Scholarship
(for undergraduates and graduates)
Dieter Family Travel Scholarship:
Full student registration and up to $500
for travel-related expenses to OCEANS’09
MTS/IEEE Biloxi
For MTS Student Members and Non-Members
n
n
n
n
n
$2,000—The MTS Student Scholarship
for Graduates and Undergraduates
$2,000—The MTS Student Scholarship
for Two-Year Technical, Engineering and
Community College Students
$2,000—The MTS Student Scholarship for
Graduating High School Seniors (who have been
accepted into a full-time undergraduate program)
$2,000—The Paros-Digiquartz Scholarship
(for undergraduates and graduate students
with an interest in marine instrumentation)
Up to $10,000—ROV Scholarship
(for undergraduate and graduate students,
and high school seniors interested in remotely
operated vehicles)
Deadline: Submissions must be postmarked
no later than April 15.
For more information and applications,
visit the Education link on the MTS Web site
www.mtsociety.org/education/scholarships.aspx
16
Education News
Students at OCEANS’09
Local high school classes will
have the opportunity to experience how scientific data is
used in real-life scenarios at
the OCEANS’09 MTS/IEEE Biloxi
Conference. Teams of high
school students will participate in a hands-on decisionmaking activity using one of
the e-Missions—Operation
Montserrat—developed by
the NASA Challenger Centers.
This fast-paced activity lasts
approximately two hours and
will be run simultaneously for
several classes of students.
Additionally, students will
experience other aspects of
the conference as well, possibilities include visiting the
exhibition hall, instrument
demonstrations and college
booths. To provide this opportunity, the High School Outreach Committee is searching
for sponsors to help defray
the costs associated with purchasing the license for the
e-Mission as well as renting
computers, internet connection, travel expenses for
the classes and other necessary fees. The cost of supporting one class is $2,500.
Web link: www.oceans09mtsieeebiloxi.org/index.cfm
Hiring Part-Time Students?
MTS student member Marcel
Montrose of St. John’s, Newfoundland, posted a query on
the MTS Facebook page: “I
want to know, out of the corporate members, how much
interest there is in hiring students on a part-time basis
while they complete their
studies. This is a good way to
evaluate a potential employee
before committing to a fulltime job, and on the other
side, it helps students gain
valuable experience in their
field of study.” To reply to this
query, go to the MTS Group
Facebook page and find the
link “Hire a Student” under the
Currents Dear Mike Hal
Discussion Board heading, or
you can contact Montrose at
montrose.marcel@gmail.com.
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
MTS is a supporter of the
NOSB and gives membership
to each of the coaches whose
teams make it to the final
competition. Don’t miss an
opportunity to see some
of the smartest kids in the
U.S. compete at the finals of
the National Ocean Sciences
Bowl in Washington, D.C., on
April 26-27. These students
answered tough questions on
oceanography, technology,
biology, physics, geology and
history at the regional competitions to earn a place at the
finals. The finals will be held
at the 4H Center (7100 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, MD
20815) and the Smithsonian
Natural History Museum’s new
Sant Ocean Hall. Web link:
www.nosb.org
Classroom Diving
Student pursuing careers in
commercial diving, underwater welding, advanced
dive medicine and nondestructive testing can now get
their education on a floating
campus. The National Polytechnic College of Science
has converted a former U.S.
Navy vessel into a floating
campus. The vessel, rechristened Discovery, maximizes
classroom and campus space
where very little exists in the
busy Port of Los Angeles. Prior
to its arrival at the Port of Los
Angeles, Discovery underwent a
year-long retrofit at the Marine
Group Boat Works in Chula
Vista near San Diego. The
110-foot long, 34-foot wide
vessel is now a fully functional
campus with two 25-person
state-of-the-art classrooms,
central office complex, faculty
offices, computer lab, onboard 8,000-gallon training
tank, dive stations, hyperbaric
MARCH/APRIL 2009
l,
I would like to
once again than
Bussmann Und
k you for the
ergraduate Scho
larship. I’ve had
busy but very in
a
teresting semes
ter. Ocean engi
continues to be
neering
a great major w
ith various lab
design classes.
and
A s I look fo
r summer intern
ships, MTS is ag
an excellent reso
ain
urce. I’m hoping
to pursue a syst
design-oriented
emsinternship this
summer, possib
including AU V
ly
work.
A gain, thank yo
u very much fo
I look forward
r your help.
to working wit
h MTS in the fu
ture.
Sincerely,
Josh Leighton
MIT
chambers, welding stations
and maintenance shops. Web
link: www.natpoly.edu.
Teachers to Get ROV Help
The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE)
Center is offering a summer
workshop on Intermediate
Level Remotely Operated
Vehicle (ROV) Building from
July 20–26 in Monterey, Calif.,
at Monterey Peninsula College.
Along with learning ROVbuilding skills, educators will
learn how to build, use and
incorporate sensors into ROVs.
Knowledge provided in this
workshop will prepare educators to support a team in
MATE’s ROV competitions.
The workshop, hotel accommodations, and many meals are
provided by MATE. For more
information and an application visit: www.marinetech.
org/education/institutes.php
or contact Erica Moulton, at
emoulton@marinetech.org, or
at (727) 894-6821. Have your
application in by April 14.
Cutbacks at College
Cape Fear Community College
may have to cut its program
for students that allows them
to spend 30 days at sea experiencing marine technology
first hand. That experience will
no longer be possible if the
state makes more than halfa-million dollars in proposed
cuts. There is high demand for
the program. This semester,
it is at full capacity with 124
students. Students would still
be able to learn marine technology in the classroom, but
they say it won’t be the same.
CFCC says the marine technology program is the only
one of its kind on the East
Coast. n
Engineer the Future
DONATE to the
MTS Scholarship Fund
and help the best young
minds toward a career in
marine technology.
www.mtsociety.org/donate/index.cfm?fa=donate
17
Legislative News
Five Ocean Bills
In January, the U.S. Senate passed S.22, the Omnibus Public
Land Management Act of 2009, which contained five landmark
ocean bills that will help to provide the resources to increase
understanding about ocean and coastal areas, which in turn
will improve conservation and management. The House passed
each of these ocean bills in the 110th Congress. House Natural
Resources Chairman Nick Rahall (D-WV) has indicated his support
for passing the package and sending it to the President to sign
into law. The bills are:
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The Ocean Exploration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Undersea Research Act authorizes the National
Ocean Exploration Program and the National Undersea Research
Program within NOAA to increase scientific knowledge for the
management, use and preservation of oceanic, coastal and
Great Lakes resources.
The Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act integrates federal
and coastal mapping activities throughout the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone. Approximately 90 percent of the nation’s maritime
territory remains unmapped by modern technology.
The Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act
authorizes the establishment of an integrated system of
coastal and ocean observations for the nation’s coasts, oceans
and Great Lakes.
The Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act
authorizes a coordinated federal research program on ocean acidification. This bill establishes an interagency committee chaired
by NOAA. The committee would develop and provide Congress with
a strategic research plan on ocean acidification and coordinate
activities across federal agencies, establish an ocean acidification
program within NOAA to conduct research and long-term monitoring, promote education and outreach, and develop adaptation
strategies and techniques for conserving marine ecosystems.
n
The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Act
authorizes NOAA to award competitive grants to coastal
states, including the Great Lakes, to protect coastal and
estuarine areas that have significant conservation, recreation,
ecological, historic, aesthetic or watershed protection value
and are threatened by conversion to other uses.
Resource Subcommittees
The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee has only four subcommittees in the 111th Congress. The Insular Affairs and the
Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans subcommittees were combined into
the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife. The
other three subcommittees are on Energy and Mineral Resources;
Water and Power; and National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
New Subcommittee Chairs
The House elected chairs to important subcommittees of the
Committee on Science and Technology. Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA)
was elected chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment. Rep. David Wu (D-OR) was re-elected as chair of the
Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. Rep. Brad Miller
(D-NC) was re-elected as chair of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was elected
chair of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. Rep.
Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) was elected chair of the Subcommittee
on Research and Science Education. Lipinski said, “As a former
political science professor, mechanical engineer, and recipient
of NSF funding when I was a graduate student, I understand the
critical importance of providing support for research. The future
of our country depends on supporting research and STEM education, which will keep our country competitive and provide the
high-quality jobs of today and tomorrow.” For more information,
including the agenda of the Committee on Science and Technology, see the Committee’s Web site at science.house.gov. n
Resource News
Marine Sanctuaries Library
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has launched a new
online multimedia library offering public access to thousands
of high-resolution, ocean-related photos and videos. Web link:
sanctuaries.noaa.gov/photos
Arctic Accidents Report
The existing infrastructure for responding to maritime accidents
in the Arctic is limited and more needs to be done to enhance
emergency response capacity as Arctic sea ice declines and ship
traffic in the region increases, according to a report “Opening
the Arctic Seas: Envisioning Disasters and Framing Solutions.”
Web link: www.crrc.unh.edu/workshops/arctic_spill_summit/
arctic_summit_report_final.pdf
Hydrokinetic Database
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program has a database on marine and hydrokinetic
renewable energy. Web link: www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/hydrokinetic/default.aspx
18
OOI Final Report
The final report from the final design review of the Ocean
Observatories Initiative is available. Web link: www.oceanleadership.org/ocean_observing
Ultra-deepwater Report
The Office of Fossil Energy has published the “2009 Annual Plan
for the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and
Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program.”
Web link: management.energy.gov/FOIA/1480.htm
Integrating Ocean Science
“Integrating Ocean Science and Resource Management: Interagency Report” highlights the purposes served by the collective
federal ocean governance structure, and the organizational and
operational principles that should be retained and embodied in
a coordinated approach to federal ocean activities. Web link:
ocean.ceq.gov/about/jsost.html n
Ocean Community Calendar
APRIL 27–30
ICES Deep-Sea Symposium
Horta, Azores, Portugal
www.turangra.com/deepocean
JUNE 4–6
Super Pile ‘09
San Francisco, Calif.
www.dfi.org/conferences.asp
APRIL 29–MAY 1
Energy Telecommunications and
Electrical Association 2009
Houston, Texas
www.entelec.org
JUNE 8–12
American Society of Marine Engineers
Turbo Expo
Orlando, Fla.
www.asmeconferences.org/te09
MAY 4–7
Offshore Technology Conference
Reliance Center
Houston, Texas
www.otcnet.org/2009
JUNE 11–9
Undersea Defence Technology
(UDT) Europe 2009
Cannes, France
www.udt-europe.com/udteurope2009.asp
MAY 6–8
Subsea Communications
Conference 2009
Macau, Peoples Republic of China
www.subseacommunications.com
JUNE 16–18
Seawork 2009
Southhampton, U.K.
www.seawork.com
MAY 11–14
OCEAN’09 IEEE Bremen
Bremen, Germany
www.oceans09ieeebremen.org
MAY 11–14
U.S. Hydro 2009
Norfolk, Va.
www.hypack.com/hydro09
JUNE 16–18
EnergyOcean 2009
Rockport, Maine
www.energyocean.com
JUNE 29–30
2009 Marine Technology for Offshore
Wind Power Workshop
Arlington, Virginia
www.mtsociety.org/conferences/
windworkshop.aspx
June 29–JULY 3
National Marine Educators Association
Conference
Monterey, Calif.
www.nmeaweb.org
AUGUST 23–26
16th International Symposium on
Unmanned Untethered Submersible
Technology
Durham, New Hampshire
ausi.org/events/uust
AUGUST 30–SEPTEMBER 4
18th International Mass Spectrometry
Conference
Bremen, Germany
www.imsc-bremen-2009
SEPTEMBER 9–11
Offshore Europe 2009
Aberdeen, U.K.
www.offshore-europe.co.uk
SEPTEMBER 13–17
GITA: 186h Annual GIS for Oil and Gas
Conference 2009
Houston, Texas
www.gita.org/events/oil_gas/09
Student Authors: The Next Wave of
Marine Technology Professionals
SEPTEMBER 21–25
OceanObs’09
Ocean Information for Society:
Sustaining the Benefits, Realizing
the Potential
Venice, Italy
www.oceanobs09.net
SEPTEMBER 23–25
IODP New Ventures in Exploring
Scientific Targets (INVEST) 2009
University of Bremen, Germany
www.marum.de/en/iodp-invest.html
OCTOBER 13–14
MTS Dynamic Positioning Conference
Westchase Hilton
Houston, Texas
www.dynamic-positioning.com/next_
conference.html
OCTOBER 21–23
SNAME’09 Annual Meeting and Expo
Providence, R.I.
www.snameexpo.com
OCTOBER 26–29
OCEANS’09 MTS/IEEE Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi
www.oceans09mtsieeebiloxi.org
Available
Now!
Volume 43, Number 1
The first issue of 2009 presents work from representatives of the 470 student members of MTS (12 percent of the society’s
membership) … and the future leaders of the diverse disciplines of marine technology. Papers were submitted to the Journal’s
usual rigorous, peer-review process and cover topics such as innovative ROV designs, Trends in Emerging Tidal and Wave Energy
Collection Technology, Cluster Space Control of Autonomous Surface Vessels, Ancient Shipwreck Survey, and Shallow Water
Surveys through Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar.
On the Horizon …
The Best of MTS Conferences
Volume 43, Number 2
Couldn’t attend the last OCEANS conference? Miss a session that looked intriguing? You’re in luck! Outstanding conference papers
have been expanded into full submissions for this special issue.
Future Issues: The Legacy of Underwater Munitions Worldwide, Deep Ocean Technology, and Aquaculture, as well as the annual
General Issue
19
Underwater Intervention Conference 2009
A
lively crowd gathered in the Royal Sonesta Hotel
on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on March 3 to
celebrate the successful Underwater Intervention
Conference and recognize awards and scholarship
winners. ROV Professional Committee Chair Drew
Michel presented the ROV Committee Chairman’s
Award to Justin Manley (photo at top) for his efforts
as chair of the UI technical program. “The technical
program was one of the best in years, and it was
because of Justin’s hard work,” Michel said. Manley is
editor of the MTS Journal and chair of the Unmanned
Maritime Vehicles Professional Committee. He is
a research leader at Battelle. Norman Robertson
(middle) accepted the Chairman’s ROV Corporate
Excellence Award for C-Innovation. Robertson is a
vice president at the company. C-Innovation, an MTS
member, was recognized for the aggressive, effective
way it dove into the ROV business when the company
started just two years ago. “They picked the best
people, the best robotics they could, and invested
an enormous amount of money,” Michel noted,
adding that the company had grown rapidly since its
inception. Florida Atlantic University ocean engineering major Laura Fenton (bottom) won a $7,000
ROV scholarship. She is a member of the MTS FAU
Student Section. n
Marine Technology Society, Inc.
5565 Sterrett Place, Suite 108
Columbia, MD 21044
Change Services Requested
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Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
BALTIMORE, MD
Permit No. 7499
The international, interdisciplinary society devoted to ocean and marine engineering, science,
and policy. M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 0 9
Currents

Marine Technology Society Teledyne RDI`s success spurs MTS

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