MTS PROUDLY ANNOUNCES SEVERAL SUMMER WORKSHOP SCHOLARSHIPS

For eight years, the Marine Technology Society (MTS) has partnered with Northwestern Michigan College and Rutgers University to offer the MTS Summer Workshops. The Workshops provide students with the opportunity to explore various technologies and deploy equipment for collecting data relevant to diverse investigations. 

This year, the Rutgers University Glider Technology Workshop will be conducted from June 10-14 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Participants will be introduced to underwater robots while gaining hands-on experience prepping, ballasting, deploying, and piloting. This is an exciting opportunity for undergraduate students with little to no experience using this equipment as part of their courses or laboratories. The Marine Technology Glider Workshop is designed to offer students a chance to not only learn about underwater gliders, but also deploy the equipment to gather data applied to various investigations. 

The Glider Workshop quickly filled up this year with participants from around the country including:

• Cole Sheeley (University of the Virgin Islands)
• Joshua Soll (University of the Virgin Islands)
• Joy Jesse (University of the Virgin Islands)
• Mya Sharpe (Rutgers University)
• Jamaris Moore (NAVY/Stennis)
• Brian Boudreauz (NAVY/Stennis)
• Shannon Ingold (NAVY/Stennis)
• Gillian Andal (Middlesex County College)
• Linette Espinoza (Middlesex County College)
• Emily Chavez Ramirez (Middlesex County College)

The three students from Middlesex County College (Gillian, Linnette, and Emily) are all recipients of scholarships from the MTS Microcredentials initiative funded through the National Science Foundation. 

The Northwestern Michigan College ROV and Sonar Workshop, June 17-21 in Traverse City, Michigan, offers participants a hands-on experience using multiple sonar and ROV marine systems. Participants will log time on research vessels, and collect data using ROVs, sonars, and other sensors while learning multiple applications of these technologies.

The ROV and Sonar Workshop is also at capacity with participants from around the globe including:

• Lucas Nofsinger (Ohio State University)
• Vya Weise (University of Rhode Island)
• Gareth (Gary) Turgeon III (Gateway Community and Technical College)
• Caleb Hills (Saint Louis University)
• Anothony Capone (Texas A&M)
• Genevieve Coblentz-Strong (Oregon State)
• Hannah Elliott (Stockton University)
• Jade Mells (Nova Southeastern University)
• James Whalen (University of California – San Diego)
• Ashley Townes (University of Washington)
• Xavier Vincent Navarro (Florida Atlantic University)
• William Peltier (Lake Superior State University)
• Nithyashree Pillai (SRM Institute of Science and Technology)

Nithyashree is a recipient of a scholarship from MTS and several participants (Genevieve, Ashley, James, Hannah, Gary, Jade, Xavier, William, Anthony, and Caleb) are all recipients of scholarships from the MTS Microcredentials initiative funded through the National Science Foundation. 

MTS received the National Science Foundation (NSF OCE-2308556) award last year to jump-start the Microcredentials initiative. The Microcredentials framework will ultimately address the Foundational, Intermediate, and Advanced levels of competency for a variety of marine technologies and applications. This shift toward a competency-focused credentialing framework will offer multiple expedited routes to degree and certification attainment and will open up opportunities to meet the expanding workforce requirements. 

To support this initiative, the NSF project included funds to film and capture the field experiences and mini-lectures provided during the Summer Workshops face-to-face experiences. The content will be edited for inclusion in instructional materials to support the implementation of the Microcredentials both online and in-person with partner institutions.

The workshop participants will be the first recipients of the MTS Microcredentials and share their experiences with their home institutions helping to grow awareness of the initiative and begin to expand the number of institutions partnered with MTS locally offering the Microcredentials. 

For more information or questions about the MTS Microcredentials, please contact Liesl Hotaling ([email protected]).