SeaTech is Florida Atlantic University's Institute of Ocean and Systems Engineering, primarily located on eight acres of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intra Coastal water-way in Dania Beach, Florida, with valuable easy-access to the ocean and sea water. Established in 1997 as a State-funded Type II Research Center, the Institute is part of FAU's Department of Ocean Engineering, and spans from the primary Dania Beach location to the University's Boca Raton Campus. Its team of 15 world-class faculty members, 27 engineers and technicians and 40 graduate students are engaged in federally and industry sponsored pertinent ocean engineering research and technology development in the areas of acoustics, marine vehicles, hydrodynamics and physical oceanography, marine materials and nano-composites. SeaTech builds on and complements the academic programs of the Department of Ocean Engineering and forms the means for technology advancement, collaboration with academia, industry, and government, and transition of research products to applications.

   The Institute's 50,000 sq. ft. building houses oceanfront research laboratories, classrooms, faculty offices, and conference facilities. It provides docking facilities for its two research vessels and other boats from visiting institutions. Facilities machine and electronic shops, significant computational capabilities, a 60ft wave/towing/flume tank and a smaller laminar flow re-circulating channel, extensive laboratories for development of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), mechanisms for corrosion control, and high-speed underwater modem communication systems. The Institute has several AUVs, including two 21" Ocean Explorer vehicles with depth rating of 300m, a 21" Bluefin Odyssey III vehicle with depth rating of 3000m, and a 9" Morpheus vehicle with depth rating of 100m. Significant capabilities exist for launch, recovery and operations of AUVs. Recent focus has been on the development of an underwater docking station for small-class AUVs. Facilities on the Boca Raton campus include a wind tunnel and a 30ft deep acoustic test tank.

     Dania Beach campus is 28 miles south of the Boca Raton campus and just minutes away from the  Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades.  It serves as primary home for the Department of Ocean Engineering's graduate program and for the capstone senior-year of the undergraduate program. The seniorswork side-by-side with diverse international group of graduate students on the campus, gaining significant hands-on experience.

     SeaTech enjoys a long-term partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center - Carderock Division and its South Florida Testing Facility (SFTF) which extends offshore south of Port Everglades over a 18 nautical miles cross-self by 4 nautical miles along shelf region, encompassing water depth of up to over 700m. The partnership provides extensive combined in-water test and evaluation capabilities for AUVs and other underwater systems. SeaTech also enjoys an extended partnership in the form of South Florida Ocean Measurement Center (SFOMC), a consortium between FAU, NSWC-CD, HBOI, NSU, USF, University of Miami and NOAA-AOML, aimed at development of an ocean observatory on the SFTF range. SeaTech has recently received federal funding for research and development in the areas of durability of composite materials, and coastline security technology, and for a program under a national naval responsibility initiative for training and development of a new generation of workforce for naval laboratories. Other developing initiatives include Seabasing S&T and development of systems for harnessing ocean energy.

    Dania Beach campus is surrounded by maritime industry and other marine science facilities, including the Nova  Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center,  the Florida Department of Natural Resources' Environmental Education Facility in John U. Lloyd State Park, and NSWC-CD. Access to the shallow-water reefs  and deep ocean environments is available through near-by Port Everglades, and undisturbed barrier island beaches and  the West Lake Wetland Preserve are immediately accessible from the site. Cable and pipe connections to offshore reef areas allow SeaTech researchers to use fresh sea water in their work and to use remote sensing devices to monitor offshore conditions.

      It is aimed to make SeaTech a visitor-friendly research  center.   It is expected to attract school children on field trips, visitors who are interested in learning about the marine environment, and international scientists from many fields.

• SeaTech Dedication Ceremony- 22 January 1999