Nov 11, 2020
Students interested in the “blue economy,” a growing global concept involving the economic, social and ecological sustainability of the oceans, are being sought to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2021 Marine Energy Collegiate
Competition.
“We’re looking for a couple of students who are passionate about green energy and blue economy to join two of our students who have already been accepted to compete in the event,” said Dr. Konrad Jamro, associate professor of management
at St. Bonaventure and academic coordinator for the competition.
The event challenges students representing colleges from around the globe to come up with innovative marine energy solutions to power the blue economy. Students put their creativity and skillsets to the test to develop marine energy solutions for next-generation
technologies such as autonomous vehicles to further ocean exploration, offshore aquaculture, battery and fuel cell technology for marine transportation, desalination to serve coastal and island communities, offshore renewable energy, and alternative
fuels.
Diverse groups of students from multiple disciplines come together to leverage their business expertise in combination with technical skills to build cases for how marine energy technologies can benefit existing and developing maritime industries. On
the business side, for instance, students contribute by performing marketing research and developing a business plan and licensing strategy to bring the technology to the marketplace.
Each team’s work culminates in a written submission and a pitch of market assessment and detailed technology design at the International Conference on Ocean Energy 2021, to be held April 28-30, 2021.
St. Bonaventure students will partner with students from the UMass Dartmouth Engineering Team. They will be provided with guidance and mentorship from the renewable energy company GETS LLC.
Students on the SBU team register for a three-credit course for spring semester 2021. Through the course, the students will:
- coordinate and collaborate with UMass Dartmouth students and industry partner GETS LLC;
- conduct market research related to the technology, including interviewing industry experts, potential customers, regulators, etc.;
- organize a few outreach activities related to blue economy;
- write a business plan for an application of the technology (e.g., an off-shore power island used as a docking and charging station for underwater autonomous vehicles);
- pitch the plan to judges in spring 2021.
“All majors are welcome,” said Jamro. Already on the team are Darion Gregory, a junior environmental studies major, and Alec Peinkofer, a graduate student pursuing a general business MBA.