Four people stand on a platform suspended over water. Two men lean over a model ship, which is lowered into the water with a metal pole attached to a railing that runs across the center of the platform.

U-M named a federal maritime Center of Excellence by U.S. Department of Transportation

The Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering is recognized for training students in autonomous vessels, computational engineering and naval engineering.

By:

Derek Smith

Shipbuilding

Explore more shipbuilding and maritime innovations from Michigan Engineering

Latest news and developments

For its “critical role in training the workforce that designs and builds the domestic maritime fleet,” the University of Michigan Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering has been selected as a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). 

The designation makes U-M eligible to apply for a portion of the $30 million that USDOT’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has requested in their 2027 budget to support their Centers of Excellence.

MARAD said in their announcement that they selected U-M’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering for:

  • Labs specializing in marine robotics, autonomous vessels and digital control systems.
  • A master’s degree track designed to transition engineers from varied backgrounds into naval engineering careers, called the BRIDGE Initiative.
  • Integrating coursework on computational and digital engineering concepts for designing and evaluating vessels.
  • Helping students get high-paying jobs shortly after graduation.
  • Maintaining research and education collaborations with major shipbuilders, such as Fincantieri.

U-M’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering was one of 16 new institutions to be declared a Center of Excellence. There are now 48 institutions across 87 training facilities named MARAD Centers of Excellence, which are “laser-focused on training the next generation of mariners for vital careers at sea and on shore,” according to MARAD’s announcement. 

Four people stand on a platform suspended over water. Two men lean over a model ship, which is lowered into the water with a metal pole attached to a railing that runs across the center of the platform.
Zachary Campeau (first left) and Jason Bundoff (center), who are staff from the University of Michigan Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, help undergraduate students Patrick White (first right) and Arianna Kerkmaz set up a model vessel for an experiment in the department’s Aaron Friedman Marine Hydrodynamics Lab. For these student experiences and more, the department was named a maritime Center of Excellence by the U.S Department of Transportation. PHOTO: Marcin Szczepanski, University of Michigan Engineering.

Related Stories

Related Topics

||