MTS & SUT CERTIFY 15 MARINE TECHNOLOGISTS THROUGH THE CMARTECH PROGRAM - LEARN HOW YOU CAN BECOME CERTIFIED

This June, the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) launched the Marine Technologist Certification program. In 2020, the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) entered into a pilot program to offer the Chartered Marine Technologist (CMarTech), in an effort to provide members with an opportunity to advance their professional profile through certification. Now, all MTS and SUT members have the opportunity to apply for Marine Technologist Certification through your own professional society - at all three levels of certification: Chartered Marine Technologist (CMarTech), Registered Marine Technologist (RMarTech), and Marine Technician (MarTech).

What is Marine Technology Certification?
The Chartered Marine Technologist (CMarTech), Registered Marine Technologist (RMarTech), and Marine Technician (MarTech) are registered by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science, and Technology (IMarEST), which has a Royal Charter from the United Kingdom, to award suitably qualified and experienced applicants Marine Technologist Registration. MTS and SUT have been granted a license from the IMarEST to award these qualifications to candidates applying through our Societies.

CMarTech, RMarTech, and MarTech are professionals who harness, exploit, manage, use, or apply marine technology in the pursuit of wealth creation and/or the provision of services in the marine sector. They are characterized by their ability to deal with complex issues, both systematically and creatively and can make sound judgments in the absence of complete data to develop solutions to problems and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

The application process requires candidates to demonstrate competency in sixteen core areas, including:

• Specialist knowledge,
• Theoretical and practical methods of analysis,
• Technical and commercial leadership,
• Interpersonal skills, and
• A commitment to professional standards and obligations to the profession and the environment.
• Candidates’ credentials and experience are scrutinized by multiple experts in Marine Technology in a rigorous vetting process. Only the most highly qualified and experienced candidates are invited to join this elite group of Marine Technologists.

Who should apply?
Typically, Chartered Marine Technologists will be professionals from disciplines such as: Fleet Managers, Hydrographers, Marine Superintendents (Deck), Meteorologists, Pilots, ROV Pilots and Developers, AUV Technicians, Marine Logisticians, Deck Officers and Ratings, Marine Surveyors, Shipping Professionals, Harbormasters, University Faculty, Navigators, Radar/Sonar Maintenance Experts, Warfare Officers and Ratings and Naval Officers and Ratings, Instrumentation and Platform Designers and Developers, & Offshore oil, gas & Renewables Practitioners.

What educational level is required?
Certification is open to everyone who can demonstrate the required, high-level knowledge and professional competence. Each certification requires a formal degree in an approved subject area. However, in lieu of a formal degree, it is possible to demonstrate an appropriate level of knowledge through a combination of academic awards and/or appropriate experiential learning.

What is the value of Certification?
Marine Technology Certification has many benefits for individuals, employers, and the public as a whole. Certification ensures high and improving standards across all technological disciplines; it reflects best practice and is set at an internationally recognized benchmark level. Certification encompasses high caliber professionals in the practice, research, application and teaching of technology, and recognizes the increasing focus on transdisciplinary skills for the future of science, engineering and technology. Furthermore, Certification provides employers with additional assurance of the quality of their workforce.

It is of benefit to:

• Society, which will be more confident in the competence of an individual and need no longer be confused by a platform of letters and descriptions.
• Individual practitioners, by identification as a professional that sets them at the forefront of their profession and offers a passport to job mobility.
• Employers, with confirmation, through the designation, of the quality of a job applicant’s qualifications.
• Government offices, seeking to hire or appoint permanent staff, advisers, or consultants would have an assurance about the level of an individual’s expertise.
• Professional societies and organizations, by providing additional opportunities to benchmark their qualifications.
• Higher education, which will be better able to set and monitor benchmarks for their technology courses, and to promote programs of study to meet the high standards required of a Chartered Marine Technologist.
• Regulatory authorities, who could be confident in specifying the designation in legislation and regulations
• Legal credibility, enabling expert witness participation at a defined standard.
• Professional standing, recognizing equality of excellence across the technology professions.
• Learn more and apply online
  Questions? Contact Katie Herndon at [email protected].

MTS and SUT are proud of the candidates who have completed the program. Congratulations!

2021: Ed Bailey, CMarTech; Paul Jubinski, CMarTech; Mike Jugan, CMarTech; Donna Kocak, CMarTech; Josh Kohut, CMarTech; Hans Van Sumeren, CMarTech; R Venkatesan, CMarTech; Jill Zande, CMarTech; and Andrew Ziegwied, CMarTech

2020: Tom Bennetts, CMarTech; John Houlder, CMarTech; Michael Lombardi, CMarTech; David Pearson, CMarTech; Joseph Pratt, CMarTech; and André Rose, CMarTech

Meet two newly certified CMarTechs here:

Ed Bailey, CMarTech
Director of Operations – Marine Center @ Northwestern Michigan College
Ed Bailey is the director of Operations and Business Development for the Marine Center at Northwestern Michigan College. Northwestern Michigan College provides comprehensive Geospatial Applications training solutions for the marine, surveying, and remote sensing industries. Emphasis is placed on collecting and processing accurate, usable data on the natural and constructed world around us. Expert instructors utilize current industry-standard equipment, including autonomous and remotely operated data collection systems that operate on land, in the air, and in the marine environment. Ed has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and a Masters in Science in Project Management from the University of Wisconsin –Platteville.  

Donna Kocak, CMarTech

Ms. Kocak has over 30 years of experience in the ocean engineering field supporting design, development, and testing of various scientific and engineering projects involving computer vision, robotics, fiber optics, underwater imaging and communications, and ocean observing systems. As an Advanced Concepts Engineer/Senior Scientist at L3HARRIS, she bridges the gap with customers, business developers, and engineers to make strategic business decisions to grow the SAS Maritime business area. Prior to this role, she led the seafloor development of an ocean observing system at HARRIS MCS/CapRock that she helped to deploy in 2010 for both commercial and scientific use. In 2013, Donna was recognized by the Society of Women Engineers as the 2012 Space Coast Outstanding Woman Engineer of the Year and presented with a HARRIS Industry Recognition Award. She has over 70 publications and three US patents. Donna has been an active member of the Marine Technology Society since 1996, serving in numerous leadership roles. She was President of the Society in 2017-2018.

View a listing of all CMarTechs online