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August 2012www.marinelink.com 51the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The ship is ex- tremely quiet so it won?t disturb marine life, and features advanced navigation systems, acoustic sensors, and scientific sampling gear to conduct research onfish, marine mammal and turtle popula- tions. The Arctic Region Research Vessel (ARRV) Sikuliaq is currently being built alongside LCS. Sikuliaq is sponsored bythe National Science Foundation and will be operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks to conduct science mission on behalf of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System(UNOLS) community. New way to train new workers This past year, UW-Marinette again teamed up with Marinette Marine andShipConstructor Software for the devel- opment of a new Shipyard Orientation Program course. Along with other con- tributors, the team created a virtual ship- yard to get a basic understanding ofshipyard layouts and functions. SOP is an immersive, virtual 3-D ship- yard training model for newcomers and non-shipbuilders that provides self-paced instruction to achieve a basic under- standing of shipyard layouts and func- tions. Students can go into buildings and perform tasks to learn about safety, reveal properties of ship systems and compo-nents, and become familiar with process of ship construction and maintenance.The concept for this course was to cre- ate a 3D virtual shipyard that coupled with a shipyard orientation curriculum enables new employees to fly an avatar around to explore the virtual shipyard, click on items, and learn about the inter- connectedness of processes and produc-tion, at their own pace. This time, the course was designed to be offered fully online, in a 24/7, on-demand, instructor- less platform. The virtual, 3D yard ad- dresses the industry need for astandardized, cross-discipline orientationprogram that is both cost-effective and shipyard neutral. This model is generic, and represents various items seen in any shipyard and is not just modeled after one shipyard. But Langteau says the program can also be customized for any shipyard, with their particular layout, rules and pro-cedures. There are other local educational synergies. Northeastern Wisconsin Tech- nical College has a facility that?s walking distance from the shipyard. ?The techni- cal college system in Wisconsin is a model because they work well with local industry as to what our needs are,? says Wellens. ?The State of Wisconsin awarded us a grant to develop that cur- riculum. NWTC has subject matter ex- perts with shipbuilding experience?some former employees of Marinette Marine?in the areas of elec-trical, welding, pipe fitting and ship fit- ting.? Wellens also says tours of the yard have been conducted for area high school stu-dents, and they can take vocational courses that earn dual credits leading totheir high school diploma as well as thetechnical college. ?Working with area high schools and colleges, we?re aligning the vocational curriculum through educa- tion and employment with concentrations in shipbuilding trades.? NSRP funding available for research using two different vehicles A Research Announcement (RA) proj- ect is a major initiative project. In gen- eral, they are higher dollar value and from one to three years in durations. A panel project is generally under $100-150k and short?up to 12 months?induration.RA projects also bring together a crossfunctional team to solve a problem and usually more time and testing to resolve or mature. The panel vice the major proj- ect (the RA) path is available to solve a more immediate problem or to determineviability of a bigger problem. ?Our panelprojects are key to NSRP success,? says Bowling. ?We have subject matter ex- pects from across the industry?(ship-builders, centers of excellence, technical warrant holders, small business, etc.? who gather to solve or address a func- tional issue, such as. welding, safety, painting or surface preparation, or edu- cation, to give a few examples. Examples of RA and Panel projects canbe found at www.NSRP.org MR#8 (50-57):MR Template 8/9/2012 10:00 AM Page 51