Marine Technology (University of Strathclyde)

By Paul Revill

I personally have always been attracted towards some sort of engineering career. Therefore when I attended a career fair at my school and spoke to the people on the 'Smallpeice Trust' stall I decided that attending one or more of the courses would help me decide on my engineering career. For this school year (2006/7) there was only one course left with only one place left on it. Fortunately the course was Marine Engineering which seemed a logical choice for my self as I am a member of Explorer Sea Scouts, and spend most of my time either on or in the water.

Several of my friends have been on 'Smallpeice Trust' courses previously and have always come back recommending them. Also my school DT department have always promoted 'Smallpeice Trust' courses as a good experience and taster of the different aspects of engineering, although no one from my school had previously attended the Marine Engineering course at Strathclyde University. The fact that I was not sure what Marine Engineering actually was also influenced me on deciding to go on the course. I attempted to research Marine Engineering briefly on the internet but came away with only a vague understanding.

My friends had told me about their great experiences on other Smallpeice Trust courses, and therefore my expectations were high. They told me that the accommodation standards were very good and this was true. The content of their courses were full of fun and useful information, exactly like mine. They had also told me that the course was full of social activities which they described as “awesome fun”, I was not to be disappointed.

The first day was nerve racking with me being the only participant from my school and hence not knowing anyone else at all. My teachers at school had assured me that I would not be the only one in this situation and that was true for some of us. I arrived to the right building, after going to the wrong building first of all, and was given a pack and the key to my room. The rooms were university bedrooms with a comfy bed, a desk, two chairs, a fair sized wardrobe, a wash basin with a mirror(so the girls were happy) and a set of shelves. At the end of each corridor there was a community area with a kitchen and TV which was rarely used due to the busy week that had been planned for us. As everyone arrived, received their pack and deposited their luggage into their room we gathered outside the front of our building. At the beginning of our stay it was obvious that there was a large majority from the same school and then everyone else from different schools. However at the end of our stay it was harder to determine and everyone had new friends including me. When everyone had turned up we set off across the campus to the Marine Engineering department of Strathclyde University.

We arrived at the Henry Dyer building which houses the Strathclyde University's Marine Engineering department. The first part of the course was an ice breaker, this was to ensure that all of the teams knew each other. The ice breaker was to build a marshmallow shooter. To help us we were given a sheet with medieval contraptions on it, including trebuchets and ballistas. My team chose to make a shooter based on a catapult. Our design was made and we selected members to buy the material that we needed. Once we got the material we started to make our design. We had several problems such as lack of masking tape and also lack of accuracy when it came to shooting our contraption. During the construction phase there were certain additional challenges set for the teams. At first we were the only team to realise this and so we won the first challenge easily enough as the other teams only started it with thirty seconds to go. The challenges ranged from the tallest free standing paper tower to lateral thinking. After we tested our marshmallow shooters, with not much success, the teachers worked out scoring and who had won. Surprisingly we won overall even though our shooter rather lacked accuracy and distance. The prize was a camera and a Parker pen for each of us. That night we went bowling as a social activity and we mixed our teams so that we could meet other of our fellow course participants.

On Tuesday we went on a tour of BAE Systems and its shipyard where they are currently building two Type 45 Navy destroyers. These ships are currently the most high-tech ships in the world but at the shipyard they will soon start to build a new air craft carrier, that when finished will be even more technologically advanced. In the afternoon we were introduced to our main project, which was to build a cargo container ship model from balsa wood. The ship had to be designed so that it could use the sea route from Glasgow to Singapore via the Panama Canal, which meant it would be limited on its length, breadth and draught. The actual route we used was a 25m long tank with two islands representing Glasgow and Singapore, and the Panama Canal was two wavy channels. We had to consider all these limitations when designing our model ships along with the complicated factor of deciding where the motor and rudder would go. We spent all of Tuesday afternoon designing our ship and then working out whether the design would float. We were able to work out whether our design would float by using a mathematical equation we were given. This equation meant that we had to work out the centre of gravity of the cargo, and the other pieces of equipment that would be in the boat. My team worked efficiently, with each of us either working in partnership with another member or by ourselves. My task was to make the calculations that would tell us the stability and the maximum carrying capacity of each design. The outcome was quite a rough calculation but most of the designs 'should' have worked. Tuesday evening we went to Laser Quest, this was again a lot of fun with several matches in teams but then there was every man for themselves matches.

Wednesday morning came and we had to start building our projects. All of Wednesday morning and afternoon was spent making and testing our chosen designs of model cargo container ships. All of the teams found that their projects had slight problems due to the fact they had over used glue in most parts of their models but then certain areas lacked glue and let large amounts of water in. By using a system of trial and error we eventually sealed most of our ships. All of the teams had managed to finish construction by the end of Wednesday, which included certain cosmetic alterations for several of the teams. Wednesday evening we were taken aboard a magnificent tall ship moored in Glasgow docks. We first of all had a formal dinner, with the boys having to escort the girls to their tables before taking their own seats. The dinner was very interesting with over 15 guests, mostly from companies who had given us speeches, but all from different areas of Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture. All of the guests gave us their insight on the different aspects of Marine Engineering that they had personally experienced in their careers. Afterwards we had the final event of the evening which was a disco. We all wanted the disco to last much longer but we had to get back for the early start planned for us the following day.

Thursday was competition day. We raced our model cargo container ships attempting to out run each other and surprisingly only one of the model ships sank. The rest of them worked quite well except for those who had leaks which the water then caused the motors to short circuit. After we had finished racing each team made a presentation on their approach to the project and the reasons for their designs and construction techniques. They also talked about inspirations and what they would do differently in the future.

The course has given me a great insight into Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture. It has given me a lot of benefits including an experience of team work and how to adapt to new people and environments. The social parts of the course were enjoyed by everyone and helped to make everyone feel more relaxed. The course has produced many new friends for me and a great deal of experience. I would recommend this course to anyone considering Marine Engineering or Naval Architecture as a career or to anyone who is unsure of what part of engineering they would like to pursue.