Exploring Maritime Engineering and Ship Science
22 August 2019
Myself and 16 other Arkwright Scholars were lucky enough to attend a Connect Day looking at Maritime Engineering and Ship Science at the University of Southampton.
During this trip the Course Director, Dr Stephen Boyd, gave us a fantastic introduction with regards to what Ship Science has to offer. We started with a group activity, taking advantage of simulations to try and design a boat with the lowest drag coefficient, based on a set ‘cargo’ size.
Following on from this, we then had the chance to visit Southampton’s brand-new towing tank. The tank, which is the largest at any UK University at 138m long, has a carriage capable of towing models at speeds up to 27 miles per hour!
Having visited the towing tank, Stephen gave us an example lecture on ‘Why ships float’, and having covered the basic principles, we looked at the physics & engineering behind why various ships sunk.
Finally, in groups we attempted to design paper boats that could hold as many golf balls as possible, using knowledge that we had learned earlier on. I think everyone on the trip had a great day, and we all came away having learnt lots of new things and with a much clearer idea of what Ship Science has to offer.
I am sure everyone on the trip would agree with me in saying that if you have the opportunity to attend one of Arkwright’s Connect Days, you definitely should, and you will have a great time!