USM’s Uncrewed Maritime Systems Tier 1 Certification Program Recognizes 6 Graduates
Wed, 12/06/2023 - 09:05am | By: Gabriela Shinskie
Left to right: Shannon Ingold, Jonathan Weaver, Angelle Shaffette, Kevin Martin (instructor), Carl Szczechowski (instructor), Melanie Johnson, Tim Underwood, Sledge Simmons.
Six students received their certificates on November 17 after successfully completing the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Uncrewed Maritime Systems (UMS) Tier 1 Certification Program. The five-week program provides students with a better understanding of the blue economy and UMS.
Carl Szczechowski, instructor and coordinator of the Uncrewed Maritime Systems Certificate Programs within the School of Ocean Science and Engineering at USM, was pleased with the course’s outcomes.
“Two of the students consistently added meaningful detail on geological, acoustical, and electrical matters,” said Szczechowski. “Another student was in the middle of an online USM meteorology course so she was always willing to chime in when we discussed meteorology or ocean physics.”
The program consists of four courses, including one laboratory course, for a total of 10 credit hours. Course content includes basic electronics, oceanography, acoustics, communications, navigation, and sensors with a focus on uncrewed undersea, surface and aerial vehicles. The laboratory course emphasizes electronics and features the construction of an underwater buoyancy glider. During the final week, students race their completed buoyancy gliders against one another.
The students ranged in age from 27 to 48 with five having bachelor’s degrees. The students’ educational backgrounds and work experiences included geology, acoustics, fisheries sciences, electronics, computer science and facility infrastructure maintenance. “All in all, the students were a great bunch that seemed genuinely interested in learning as much as they could,” Szczechowski noted. “With their varied backgrounds, they learned a great deal from each other as well.”
The next UMS Tier 1 offering is set for March 18 - April 19, 2024.
“Opening up the Tier 1 Program to foreign students will be the next big issue for us to move forward on,” Szczechowski explained. “As they have done for the USM Hydrography Program for many years, the U.S. Navy will urge students from allied countries to apply to the UMS Programs.”
For questions about USM’s Uncrewed Maritime Systems Certification Programs, send an email or call 228.236.6572.