University of Southampton Showcases Marine and Maritime Research at the Southampton Boat Show 2024
This year, the University of Southampton was honoured to be invited by the organisers to exhibit at the Southampton International Boat Show, a key event in the city’s calendar.
Over the ten-day period from 13 to 22 September, our stand at the Southampton International Boat Show attracted more than 7,500 visitors, offering an engaging platform to explore the University’s pioneering marine and maritime research and discover opportunities for studying and working with us.
Our academic and student volunteers welcomed a diverse audience of interested industry professionals, school groups, members of the media, prospective students and their parents, among others.
The five interactive exhibits on our stand and the opportunity to hop onboard the University of Southampton’s research vessel, Callista, provided hands-on experiences for visitors and sparked meaningful conversations about the real-world impact of our research:
Drive into the Deep
Professor Blair Thornton ’s team showcased one of the University’s ocean-going robotic submersibles, Smarty200 . With its high-definition cameras and laser scanning capability, and a depth rating of 200 metres, Smarty200 enables researchers to develop detailed maps and gather high-resolution imagery of the ocean floor. Visitors to the stand could get up close to the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and learn how it is used to gather vital data for marine science.
Winds of Change
Dr Joe Banks and his team invited visitors to learn about wind-assisted shipping technologies and try their hand at trimming a model ship’s wing-sail in a wind tunnel simulation. The model simulates a real-life project that Joe and his team are working on, in partnership with Smart Green Shipping , where a retractable 20 metre-high FastRig wing-sail is being fitted to a commercial ship for testing. By adjusting the sail settings on the model, visitors could see how wind propulsion increases thrust, and therefore reduces the ship’s fuel consumption.
Read more about the project or catch Joe and Dr Martyn Prince ( Wolfson Unit ) talking about it on Episode 4 of the SGS Podcast .
Tales of Discovery
Through Virtual Reality technology, Dr Michael Grant and Dr Felix Pedrotti , offered visitors a glimpse aboard the UK’s first Royal Research Ship, the RRS Discovery. This iconic research vessel first took Commander Robert Falcon Scott, along with legendary figures Ernest Shackleton and Edward Wilson, to the Antarctic. The immersive experience gave participants a chance to explore the historic vessel and learn about its groundbreaking expeditions in Antarctic waters.
This exhibit highlighted to work of the team from the University of Southampton creating ‘Digital Twin’ of the RRS Discovery , in collaboration with the Dundee Heritage Trust , Scott Polar Research Institute , and the National Oceanography Centre . The highly accurate 3D representation of the ship delivers exciting new insights into how the ship was built and used and informs vital restoration work on the vessel.
Can Fossils Foretell Our Future?
Dr Richard Stockey , Dr Alison Cribb and the team of palaeobiologists showed visitors how studying fossils of woolly mammoths and ichthyosaurs can reveal insights about long-term climate changes and the future of our planet. Through palaeoclimate modelling and fossil analysis, the exhibit demonstrated how the Earth's climate has evolved over time and how various species adapted to these changes. This immersive journey allowed visitors to explore the deep connection between life on Earth and the planet's climate history and what it can teach us about the future of our oceans.
Seagrass the Superpower
Dr Hachem Kassem and colleagues from the School of Ocean and Earth Science (SOES) had on stand their wave tank which simulates coastal flooding and storm conditions. By adjusting the structures and elements in the Lego town and coastline, visitors could see how natural flood defences, like seagrass meadows, compared to engineered ones in preventing flooding and storm damage. The interactive display highlighted the potential of nature-based solutions in coastal management.
R.V. Callista
In addition to these exhibits, the University’s research vessel, R.V. Callista , was moored in the marina for visitors to explore. Researchers aboard the vessel explained how data collected from Southampton’s coastal waters and other locations contributes to marine biology and oceanography research, providing insights into the crucial work being done within and beneath our ocean. The Callista crew welcomed more than 5000 enthusiastic visitors aboard during the Boat Show.
Our presence at the show was coordinated by the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute and the School of Ocean and Earth Science , with support from the University’s Research and Enterprise Marketing and Global Student Recruitment, Admissions & Marketing teams. This collaborative effort allowed us to highlight the breadth of research being undertaken at the University of Southampton and connect with a wide range of visitors.
The invitation to participate in the Boat Show provided a valuable opportunity to engage with the public, industry professionals, and future marine scientists. We look forward to building on these connections through future events and initiatives.
To find out more about how you can work or study with us, or other marine and maritime related opportunities at the University of Southampton, please email us.