VERMA LEADS ODU TEAM LAUNCHING MARINE TECH PROGRAM FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTHS

A specially selected group of 60 students in grades 6-12 from economically disadvantaged regions of Virginia will get to build underwater robots, design human-powered container ships, explore shipyard operations and also visit marine museums as part of a $1.3 million project that Old Dominion University faculty members have devised to give young people the skills and interests they need to pursue high-technology careers such as marine engineering.

The three-year "MarineTech" project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of a broad effort to promote the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills of America's youth. Student participants will get in-depth looks at ship construction, ship stability and ship disaster investigation as they proceed through a three-year program.

Alok Verma, the Ray Ferrari Professor of Engineering Technology and director of ODU's Lean Institute, is the principal investigator for the grant. The co-principal investigators from ODU are Sueanne McKinney and Daniel Dickerson, assistant professors of educational curriculum and instruction, and Nina Brown, professor and eminent scholar of educational leadership and counseling.