Our Mission: The mission of SeaTech - The Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering - is to provide an environment for advanced engineering research and technology development aimed at solving problems in the ocean. 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

Our Institute: Established in 1997 as a State-funded Type II Research Center, the Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering (SeaTech) is part of FAU's Department of Ocean Engineering, and the College of Engineering and Computer Science. It is 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. It spans from this location to the University's Boca Raton Campus. Its team of world-class faculty, engineers and technicians and graduate students are engaged in federally and industry sponsored ocean engineering research and technology development in the areas of acoustics, marine vehicles, hydrodynamics and physical oceanography, marine materials, nano-composites, applied ocean systems and ocean energy technologies.

      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 include machine and electronic shops, significant computational capabilities, a 60ft wave/towing/flume tank and a smaller laminar flow re-circulating channel, ocean observation systems, extensive laboratories for development of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), mechanisms for corrosion control, high-speed underwater modem communication systems, ocean energy technologies ans seabasing 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.

      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 a developing partnership with other Florida institutions aimed at providing a state-wide integrated ocean observation system.

      The Institute’s annual sponsored research expenditure is around $5 million. Recent federally and state funded research and development projects include AUV-based BOSS sonar systems, high-speed underwater modem communication, air-deployable buoy, durability of composite materials, nano-composites, coastline security technologies, and and systems for harnessing ocean energy. These projects complement basic research in underwater acoustic transmission, flow noise, hydrodynamics and physical oceanography, corrosion and marine material, structures, and autonomous control mechanisms. An ONR-funded program under a national naval responsibility initiative is pursued for training and development of a new generation of workforce for naval laboratories and the ship design industry. Other developing initiatives include SeaBasing S&T, and development of advanced acoustic systems. New research opportunities in the areas of ocean and acoustic observatories are being pursued by the faculty.

• Seminar Series
  
  
• SeaTech Brochure
  
  
• SeaTech Poster
  
  
• SeaTech Dedication Ceremony- 22 January 1999