Posted on August 23, 2021
A unique program and facility at the University of New Orleans is playing a key role in helping students prepare for careers in shipbuilding, engineering and more with a combination of theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills.
The UNO Boysie Bollinger School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) was first established in 1980. Today, it offers a bachelor’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering, a master’s degree in engineering and a Ph.D. in engineering and applied science. And, with a new $3 million gift from shipbuilding magnate Donald T. “Boysie” Bollinger, the school’s future is as bright as ever.
Bollinger’s gift will create endowed scholarship support for students in the College of Engineering, with preference given to those majoring in naval architecture and marine engineering. It will also fund equipment upgrades for the school’s 128-foot-long marine towing tank and ship design computer lab.
“I think I’m most excited about some things we are doing on the research side and the projects we are working on,” said Brandon Taravella, an associate professor and graduate program coordinator of NAME. “We’re doing some work for the U.S. Navy to design an underwater autonomous vehicle that swims like an eel. Having the towing tank inside the NAME facility has been critical to completing that research.”
That towing tank allows UNO faculty, students and other researchers to study how water and waves will affect ships and equipment, then make necessary adjustments. The NAME facility also includes a model shop and computer labs with the most up-to-date software, which allow for marine design and analysis.
“Our facility lets us expose the students to a lot of hands-on opportunities to do experimental work on models, as well as some things in full scale,” Taravella said. “We’ve got some high-end computer labs where students can run advanced computer programs. We focus on teaching theory in the class and then how that theory applies to practical situations in the labs.”
Mara Kramer said that work has been an invaluable part of her UNO experience. Kramer graduated last spring with a bachelor’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering. This fall, she is continuing her UNO education in the naval architecture master’s degree program.
“A lot of what we learn in the higher level classes can be incredibly theoretical and complex. These are principles that people are still studying today,” Kramer said. “But to be able to take that knowledge, then go to the towing tank and see the water motion and how it all plays out is incredibly beneficial. For me, it makes things make a lot more sense. That is definitely where UNO shines compared to other schools that may have a smaller tank or no towing tank at all. The students there don’t get to have the same hands-on experience.”
Taravella agreed. He noted that UNO’s NAME is the only program of its kind in the Gulf Coast region and one of only a handful in the entire country. Having state-of-the-art facilities as a part of the program make it “a crown jewel” for the university, he said.
“The equipment we have, such as the towing tank, allows us to do research and teach courses that other universities cannot do as effectively as we can, simply because they don’t have ready access to the same tools,” he said.
Kramer said another major asset at UNO is that many NAME faculty members are currently working in their field or have several years of previous experience. That allows the faculty to share real-world examples and explain how the students’ coursework will apply in various situations, she said.
“It’s really nice to know you’re learning from people who are using the same software, the same equipment, and have done the same tests you are performing,” she said.
That combination of experienced faculty, top-tier facilities and a hands-on education is ensuring that UNO graduates can enter the industry as prepared as possible. Conrad Shipyard, which has locations across south Louisiana, has about 15 UNO graduates among its employees, said Rene Leonard, Conrad’s vice president of engineering and program management and a UNO alumnus.
“What really stands out about the school is that of the 15 graduates we have at Conrad, about half are working on engineering activities. The others are in business development or program management or other roles in the shipyard,” Leonard said. “UNO gives them a well-rounded understanding of shipbuilding, which is key when you begin thinking about people for senior roles.”
With New Orleans’ location along the central Gulf Coast, Leonard said he also sees the school as being a critical piece of the overall economic landscape of the region. Conrad and other companies look to UNO’s NAME for future employees and also work with faculty on research projects that lead to innovation in the industry, he said.
“There are only a few schools like this in the country, and many of the others are along the West Coast and East Coast,” Leonard said. “They tend to recruit students from those areas. Having a local school like UNO with homegrown talent who want to stay here and work here is a critical piece of what helps making shipbuilding in Louisiana such a successful industry.”
For more information on UNO’s Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering program, including opportunities for research and industry partnerships, visit https://www.uno.edu/academics/coe/name.
