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By Greg Trauthwein It is difficult to pick up a marine or sub- sea industry publication these days and not find a dire article regarding the dearth of qualified candidates to fill technical posi- tions. While there is, indeed, a drastic cur- rent and looming shortage, there is a glim- mer of hope on the horizon, as evidenced by the recent success of the SEAPerch pro- gram. "The fact that close to 600 students, over an eight-week period, followed a newly-cre- ated curriculum focusing on engineering and design concepts including buoyancy, propulsion, design, tool safety, and most importantly that they needed to work together in small teams to complete the project, documenting the process all along, was the first win," said Susan Giver, SNAME's Marketing and Communications Director, and the director of SNAME's Outreach efforts. SEAPerch is an innovative program designed to encourage students to consider careers in engineering, an initiative devel- oped by MIT, teaming with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), made possible through a grant from the National Naval Responsibility Initiative/Office of Naval Research. Late last month a broad and diverse group from industry, government and academia teamed to deliver an outstanding day-long SEAPerch — the Prince William County news SEAPerch Rocks Virginia! All Photos courtesy of Ken Santucci Poolside at George Mason University. Making last-minute adjustments. ONR played a pivotal role in mak- ing SEAPerch a success. 12 MTR May 2008 Lockheed Martin pro- vided interactive video games to attract kid’s attention. MTR#4 (1-16).qxd 5/14/2008 9:22 AM Page 14
