Page 42: of Marine Technology Magazine (March 2013)

they don?t have to,? says Vincent. Open for business The university is not interested in hiding its light - the re- sults of all that research - under a bushel. It wants to con- nect with businesses, and is experimenting with how best to do that. ?We?re looking for opportunities ? not problems, but opportunities, like wind power,? said Bruce Corliss, Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography. ?We are trying to develop these relationships in order to cre- ate partnerships that would help us also have an impact on the private sector,? he said. By summer, Corliss hopes the GSO will be ready to start having conversations with companies ?to let them know what we do, what our capacities are, and what the research possibilities are. Then in turn, we?ll see what their needs and interests are to see if can?t assist with that.? One approach, done through CEUT, has been to hold topical workshops addressing speci c issues, such as green ships and anti-fouling coatings, and invite interested parties from spe- ci c sectors, like ship builders or marine operators, to learn, listen and talk to each other. ?I did a green workshop on ships. Not only was there an exchange of information, but some possible proposals they could work on together,? said Corliss. An example of how that kind of collaboration can work is none other than one of the 2011 winners of the STAC Rhode Island Research Alliance Collaborative Research Grant Awards. Amtek SCP was awarded $94,644 on research in marine bi- ofouling on high-performance molded materials. By collabo-rating with a research university, Ametek SCP will be able to evaluate novel coatings and expand its markets. From the study of the disbursement of toxins and dispersals in the water, to improving the autonomous capabilities of un- manned devices, to snif ng out chemical sources underwater, the range of research and its possible applications to business problems and adaptations to existing technology is endless. All that?s needed are collaborators, sponsors, partners and fol- low on research designed to mold some of this vast repository of knowledge into useable tools, for today and tomorrow. Discovering Rhode Island Education Above: Prof. Dwight Coleman, a marine research scientist at URI?s Graduate School of Oceanog- raphy, and Director of the Inner Space Center, sits in front of a bank of monitors streaming live video feeds from remote research ships. Left: URI ocean engineering student Michael Smith prepares to test an autonomous under- water vehicle he built for a class project in the wave tank at the URI Narragansett Bay Cam- pus.Credit: University of Rhode Island 42 MTRMarch 2013 MTR #2 (34-49).indd 42MTR #2 (34-49).indd 423/6/2013 1:14:56 PM3/6/2013 1:14:56 PM