A group of students, engineers, and professors stand in front of a vessel on a trailer that is parked indoors.

US naval engineering workforce to be strengthened by new graduate fellowship program

It will establish a pipeline of professionals with hands-on experience in major shipyards and researching challenges relevant to naval ship design and production.

By:

Derek Smith

Key takeaways

  • University of Michigan Engineering will expand the workforce needed to support shipbuilding in the United States with a new master’s fellowship program called the Building Resources for Innovation, Design and Graduate Education (BRIDGE) initiative. The program is launching with funding from the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base Program.
  • The BRIDGE fellowship will familiarize students with design and engineering challenges relevant to the U.S. Navy with new courses on submarine design, surface ship design, advanced fuel technologies, and advanced naval technologies, as well as hands-on research projects.
  • For their research, students will collaborate with the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock and Philadelphia Divisions, two of the Navy’s major engineering centers. Students will also have opportunities to learn shipbuilding and design through extended visits at major international and domestic shipyards.

To help expand the workforce needed to support shipbuilding in the United States, the University of Michigan has finalized a $5.3 million contract to launch an inaugural cohort of a new master’s fellowship program. The program is funded through workforce development efforts supported by the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base Program and will provide shipyard and applied research experience to engineering students from a range of academic backgrounds.

The fellowship—called the Building Resources for Innovation, Design and Graduate Education (BRIDGE) initiative—aims to support federal efforts to revitalize America’s maritime strength after decades of decline. Today, the U.S. produces less than 1% of the world’s commercial ships and doesn’t have enough engineers to build, maintain and modernize its naval and commercial fleets.

A group of students, engineers, and professors stand in front of a vessel on a trailer that is parked indoors.
University of Michigan Engineering students and faculty stand with Saronic staff near Corsair, Saronic’s 24-foot autonomous surface vessel, at Saronic’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. Pictured (from left to right) are Autumn Szczepanski, a naval architect at Saronic who graduated with a Master’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering from U-M; Brian Cuneo, a naval architect at Saronic who graduated with a PhD in naval architecture and marine engineering from U-M; BRIDGE students Trevor Kilinski and Jonathan Lowry; Jonathan Page, BRIDGE director and professor of practice of naval architecture and marine engineering; Kevin Maki, professor of naval architecture and marine engineering; BRIDGE student Adam Sak; BRIDGE students Ryan Westra, Jaffa Heryudono, Nate Keyes, Jacob Becker, Christopher Bower, Angelo Silvagni, Hal Berdichesky, Marlyn Zerbock and Joseph Serpa; Benjamin Bagazinski, a senior naval architect at Saronic who graduated with a Master’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering from U-M; Galen Ng, a senior naval architect at Saronic who graduated with a PhD in naval architecture and marine engineering and scientific computing from U-M. Photo courtesy of Saronic.

“The national efforts to improve U.S. shipbuilding signal a demand for engineers,” said Jonathan Page, a professor of practice of naval architecture and marine engineering and the director of BRIDGE. “We are one of only eight American institutions accredited to offer degrees in either naval architecture, shipyard management and marine systems engineering, so it’s on us to make sure the country has the engineers it needs.”

A group of engineers stand on the deck of a large commercial ship moored at a dock. Another large commercial ship is stationed nearby.
Logan Cox (middle right), a Master’s graduate in naval architecture and marine engineering, and Hal Berdichesky (outer left), a Master’s student in naval architecture and marine engineering, visit the M/V Mark W. Barker, a commercial ship overwintering at the Nicholson Dock in River Rouge, MI. Another ship, the M/V Herbert C. Jackson, is moored next to the Barker. BRIDGE will provide funding for more hands-on shipbuilding education. PHOTO: Marcin Szczepanski, Michigan Engineering.

The BRIDGE fellowship will familiarize students with design and engineering challenges relevant to the U.S. Navy with new courses on submarine design, surface ship design, advanced fuel technologies, and advanced naval technologies, as well as hands-on research projects. The program will be open to all students with STEM backgrounds, especially in naval architecture and marine engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, nuclear engineering and robotics in order to spur innovation and bring new ideas to the industry.

Students will conduct research at U-M facilities and collaborate with the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock and Philadelphia Divisions, two of the Navy’s major engineering centers. They will also have opportunities to learn shipbuilding and design through extended visits at major international and domestic shipyards—including facilities in South Korea. Emerging domestic opportunities in the U.S. include tours of Saronic’s shipyard and shipbuilding facilities in Austin, Texas, and Franklin, La., which specialize in autonomous vessels.

“Our students will become the future civilian leaders of the Navy design and construction community. We want to facilitate these international and domestic connections so that our students can learn precisely what it means to be a world-class shipyard,” said Page. “This will allow future engineers to translate their experiences to American shipyards and improve our domestic capabilities.”

The educational material designed through BRIDGE can be deployed with Navy teams, industry partners and other universities at scale, and the students’ research results will inform long-term thinking on future naval engineering capabilities.

Related Stories

Related Topics

||
|