The Gulf of Maine and the Piscataqua River Estuary are vital resources relied upon by a vast web of species - including humans. It is critical to study these waters, to detect how they are changing, and to understand any threats that exist to our ecosystems and our economy. It is also critical to build relevant skills and experience in the next generation of coastal problem solvers who will utilize and steward these waterways. 

That’s why CoastX is launching a new hands-on ocean engineering program for middle and high school students. It is the first portion of our broader initiative to establish a student-lead CoastX Wood Island Ocean Monitoring Station. Wood Island Life Saving Station is a premiere partner of CoastX.

• The majority of the program will take place in the innovation workshop at Traip Academy in Kittery, ME . We will also utilize the dock and other outdoor space available there.
  
   
• We will use M/V Utopia and R/V Gulf Surveyor for site surveying, deployment/retrieval, and other on-water learning experiences. 
  
   
• We will visit UNH CCOM to tour the facility, meet buoy engineering experts, and test our buoys in the wave tank.
  
   
• Students will hear from a range of subject matter experts including ocean scientists, engineers, and local organizations who rely on data to study and protect coastal environments. 

A Two-Week Ocean Engineering Experience

Week 1: Design, Build, and Test

• Our exciting and intensive two-week curriculum starts with an introduction to project goals and the challenges of ocean engineering. Students will then dive right into designing their ocean data collection system with expert guidance and materials provided by CoastX. The focus is on building DIY hardware, electronics, and prototyping. There will be an emphasis on safety practices in a professionally supervised workshop environment. 

• Early in the program, we will spend a day out on the harbor surveying sites for project deployment and taking baseline water quality measurements. Students will perform a range of marine science sampling techniques from the historic to the cutting edge, gaining a direct understanding of how data collection works in the environment where their projects will operate. 

• Back in the workshop/classroom at Traip Academy, student teams will construct their marine sensor projects working alongside CoastX staff and guest subject matter experts. They will learn engineering fundamentals, practice iterative design, and hone valuable fabrication skills from soldering to 3D printing as their projects take shape on the workbench. 

• At the end of the first week we will visit University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (CCOM), where students will learn about professional research buoys and test their prototypes in the wave testing pool. This provides a controlled learning environment before taking their equipment out into the waves and currents of the real ocean during Week 2. 

Week 2: Deploy, Retrieve, and Analyze

• After wave tank testing (and a weekend to reflect), student teams will return to the workbench to refine their designs and prepare for open-water operations. They will then deploy their systems in the ocean to collect data.

• Week 2 will include a day on the UNH Research Vessel R/V Gulf Surveyor where CoastX students will get to experience how university-level ocean engineering, research, and technology deployments are conducted. 

• After a day or two of data collection students will retrieve their projects from the ocean to download sensor data and assess performance. They will learn to plot and visualize data, using it to formulate and answer scientific questions about the ocean. 

• The last day will be spent analyzing data and producing short presentations of each team’s project designs, the data they collected, and what it means. 

What Students Will Do

Students will work as engineering teams to:

• Design and build a short-duration ocean data collection system
• Learn core principles of buoyancy, stability, waterproofing, and seaworthiness
• Assemble and test electronics and sensors
• Practice basic coding and microcontroller integration
• Practice hands-on fabrication techniques and workshop safety under expert guidance 
• Conduct bench testing and stress testing of project designs
• Deploy and retrieve their system in a real marine environment
• Collect, visualize, and interpret environmental data
• Present their design choices, challenges, outcomes, and data at the end of the program.