USM’s Uncrewed Maritime Systems Tier 1 Certification Program Recognizes Seven Graduates of the Spring 2024 Cohort
Wed, 05/08/2024 - 11:37am | By: Carl Szczechowski
Professor George Raber, USM Department of Geography and Geology, provides introductory comments about the WingtraOne uncrewed aerial vehicle before its demonstration flight.
Seven students received their certificates on April 19 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 UMS and the role it plays in global environmental monitoring and the blue economy.
Carl Szczechowski and Kevin Martin, Instructors from the Division of Marine Science (DMS) within the School of Ocean Science and Engineering (SOSE), enjoyed the interaction among the students.
Instructor Kevin Martin runs through an initial checklist before trailering a SeaTrac uncrewed surface vehicle to the Turning Basin for deployment.
“Given the broad range of ages and diverse educational and employment backgrounds among the students, the students learn a great deal from one another,” said Szczechowski. “In this particular group the expertise ranged from multibeam sonar, sidescan sonar, operation of various uncrewed underwater vehicles, LiDAR operations, ocean acoustics, and surveying (ship, airborne, and UMS) to experiences two of the students had as uniformed Coast Guard personnel.”
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.
Students Samuel Pearson, Hunter Parisey (eventual champion), and Robert Boese watch an early head-to-head matchup during the buoyancy glider races.
“All in all, the students were highly engaged and interested in learning as much as they could from the instructors and from each other,” Szczechowski noted.
The next UMS offering will be scheduled for a five-week period in October-November 2024. The Program’s website will soon be updated to provide the details for the Fall 2024 offering.
For questions about USM’s Uncrewed Maritime Systems Certification Programs, email Szczechowski or call 228.236.6572.