Center for Ocean Engineering
The Center for Ocean Engineering supports the research and educational activities of ocean engineering students and faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. We attract funding from a broad range of industry and government sources and work closely with these partners to understand and address their current and future technology needs.
Our faculty and students create novel technologies that are applied in areas from ocean exploration to hurricane warning systems to experimental hydrodynamics and conduct research to enhance understanding of ocean processes and marine-related phenomena. The Center provides rigorous intellectual challenges to students and faculty alike, and enables our student-researchers to gain experience working independently and collaboratively.
Research in the Center focuses on several key areas, including:
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Acoustics
MIT is a leader in ocean acoustics research. We have advanced the development of new propagation modeling algorithms, which help scientists understand how sound moves through the oceans and form the basis for using sound as a sensing tool. Applications range from deducing temperature changes in the ocean to studying the effects of sound on marine mammals.
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Hydrodynamics
Our researchers explore the fluid forces exerted on structures built for ocean applications, from submerged vehicles to port facilities, and improve understanding in ocean physics, chemistry, weather, pollution, and shore erosion. We use advanced technology to model the most complex hydrodynamic problems, such as the motion of ships and oil platforms in steep, breaking seas.
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Instrumentation and smart sensors
This multidisciplinary area focuses on applying new measurement techniques to the field of ocean engineering using principles in mechanics, electronics, computing, and optics.
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Marine Exploration
We are contributing to the development of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), which have unprecedented capacity to survey the ocean, map the ocean floor, and retrieve objects and artifacts from the water.
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Marine robotics
This area focuses on applying robotic technology to ocean research, particularly by deploying numerous networked robotic ocean observatories, which will expand the quantity and quality of data available to scientists and the public.
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Ocean systems management
Researchers in this area apply knowledge in business, economics, ocean engineering, environmental science, government policies, and maritime law and history to develop best practices for the management of shipping and other systems related to the sea.
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Ship design and technology
We tackle challenges in all phases of design related to:
- Ocean systems, including offshore platforms for petroleum recovery
- Merchant, research, and naval ships
- Nuclear submarines
- Submersible vehicles, especially robotic AUVs
- Fishery facilities
- Harbor facilities and port-transportation infrastructures
- Oceanographic equipment
- Instrumentation and sensors
