Educating the Next Generation Marine Systems Design Engineer – The NTNU Perspective

Abstract

At the Norwegian University for Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim we have a long tradition for education Master of Science candidates in naval architecture and marine technology for both the Norwegian and global maritime industry. Currently we graduate approximately 120 MSc candidates each year. Until now, they have typically been employed by the three major export industries in Norway, being shipping and shipbuilding, offshore oil and gas, and fisheries and aquaculture, though increasingly offshore renewable energy has become a major employer. In this paper we will report on how we plan to further develop our study programme, both marine technology in general, and marine systems design in particular. It is our experience from previous IMDC conferences that sharing and discussing this topic among peer educational institutions in this field is important for both new ideas and insights as well as feedback and quality assessment We believe there are four major forces that will have the highest influence on the marine technology study programmes: That sustainability will be a key driver in all aspects of marine systems design towards 2050, and that we must equip future MSc graduates with both the fundamental (systems) knowledge as well as quantitative tools, models and methods on a level far beyond where we are today. That all aspects of digitalization will continue to be a major development force. One aspect will be the products and systems to be designed and operated in an industry where digital twins, cyber-physical systems, remote and autonomous operations and zetabytes of data are becoming household concepts. Another aspect is the tools, models and methods applied for analysis, optimization, visualization and communication where we in the educational sector have experienced a substantial leap under and in the wake of the Corona pandemic. That creativity, student engagement and innovation will play a more central role in engineering programmes. The CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) education framework adopted by many universities reflects this, and CDIO has is central in the overall educational strategy at NTNU. That a systems perspective with corresponding models, methods and tools will be even more important for the next generation naval architects. A relevant illustration of this is the recognition that the 2050 IMO targets for emission reductions cannot be resolved by singular efforts such as improved hull forms or new engine technologies, but will require the concerted contribution from many initiatives related to the ship itself, its concepts of operation, as well as the operating context at large including fuel infrastructure, technology developments, regulations and economic incentives. Without systems competencies our graduates will fail to meet the expectations from both the maritime industry as well as the society at large. In our proposed paper we will present both the changes that we have already implemented towards meeting these challenges and the results we have obtained so far, as well as outlining our future strategy for continued improvement.