The ocean engineering design and marine field projects courses at Florida Tech

Abstract

The ocean engineering design and marine field projects (MFP) courses at Florida Tech are a unique combination of classroom, laboratory, and field work. These two one-semester courses provide the upper-level comprehensive engineering design content required by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). In addition, the MFP course also provides at-sea field work experience during a one-week offshore research cruise on the R/V Delphinus, Florida Tech's 20-meter ocean-going research vessel. Unlike most university undergraduate engineering curricula in the United States, the senior-level engineering design course is taken in the spring semester of the junior year instead of the fall term of the senior year, with the construction of the design during the following summer term (instead of the following spring term). This allows the students to devote 100% of their efforts to the construction of their project during the summer term, without having to take additional courses during that term. Many additional benefits result from the ocean engineering design and MFP courses at Florida Tech. These include the design and construction of equipment that can be used at Florida Tech for teaching and research, participation by students in international competitions, press coverage of many of the projects, and industry support of some of the student projects. The Division of Marine and Environmental Systems at Florida Tech is continually exploring improvements and additions to these courses, which are the capstone courses in the ocean engineering program.