Working in teams to design a ship
Ship Science students at the University of Southampton get the chance to design a craft from scratch during their third year. The undergraduates tackle the challenge in small groups and their work is judged both by academic staff and professionals in the shipping industry.
Ship Science Programme Director, Senior Lecturer Dr Dominic Hudson says it is important for students to work on a real-life project at this stage of their careers and present their design to external experts. The Marine Craft Concept Design module also provides valuable experience for the undergraduates' fourth year group design project, which is a key element in their degree.
"In modern engineering it is increasingly important to work in groups to achieve a technical solution," he explains. "If you talk to people in industry, modern ship design happens in multidisciplinary teams and it is important that students gain experience of this during their studies."
Student Becky Thomas enjoyed the challenge. "We worked on designing a fast ferry between Poole and the Channel Isles. It was tough but enjoyable, one of the best parts of the degree."
The external judges for the 2012 competition were all Southampton Ship Science alumni. They were Andy Harris from BMT Defence Services, Rob Sime from BMT Nigel Gee, Charles Randall from Lloyds Register and Simon Mockler from DNV. Teo Karayanis from Lloyds Register studied for his PhD at Southampton.
The winning team received prizes sponsored by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) and BMT.
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