Looking forward to Maritime Masters 2020
I had the pleasure of being invited to Newcastle University earlier this month, to introduce the Maritime Masters programme to postgraduate students at the School of Engineering studying towards maritime degrees. The presentation was a part of the Oceans of Opportunity event, which gave students the chance to interact with a number of maritime organisations and businesses and learn of the range of opportunities available across the sector.
Newcastle University has been one of the participating universities in Maritime Masters since the programme’s inception in 2018 and have been keen proponents of the main goal of the initiative, namely, to ensure increased connectivity and exchanges between industry and our academic partners. Students from Newcastle, like those from other participating universities, come from a wide range of disciplines, and represent a range, spanning from engineering and naval architecture to maritime law, business and environmental studies.
The visit to Newcastle was the first step in opening the 2020 Maritime Masters programme for participation, both from students and industry. We are now inviting industry to submit topics for this year’s students. As students from the participating universities are currently formulating their research topics and proposals, now is the time for suggestions that may influence these choices.
Industry are invited to submit research titles or more general topics on which you would like to see new research conducted. Efforts will be made to pair relevant student topics to industry interests through the industry adoption process. Industry adoption does not necessitate an unmanageable level of commitment, but rather creates a relationship of mutual exchange between those conducting research and those who hold industry expertise and experience. You can read more about industry adoption in the Maritime Masters programme here.
In 2019 we were keen to build on the successful first iteration of the programme. As well as industry adoption, we delivered a range of events where a larger cohort of shortlisted students had the opportunity to engage with industry and present their research to different audiences. A smaller selection of students was then chosen as Maritime Masters finalists by their university. The programme culminated in the Maritime Masters Finalist Reception, hosted at Clarksons Platou in the autumn, where student finalists presented their research to an industry audience, and one was voted the winner. 2019’s winner was Jordan Curtis from the University of Strathclyde for his research into the aerodynamics of a wingmast and its subsequent effects on sail performance.
Newcastle’s 2019 finalist was Ben Richardson, whose research asked: 'How might the introduction of unmanned autonomous ships affect shipping accident statistics?'.
The event at Newcastle provided an excellent starting point for what we hope is the best year of Maritime Masters yet. Get involved by submitting your industry topics, either through this form, or by sending an e-mail to me: lvardheim@maritimeuk.org.
Thank you for having us Newcastle – we look forward to seeing the new and exciting research that comes out of this year’s programme!
The Maritime Masters Finalist Reception 2020 will be held during Maritime UK Week (12-18 October 2020).