Marine Engineering and Technology

Guy MeadowsMarine Engineering Lab

Location: GLRC B001
Contact: Guy Meadows

Explore one of the most exciting fields in coastal ocean freshwater research, coastal hydrodynamics, in the Marine Engineering Lab. Our work encompasses a wide variety of research areas with a similarly wide geographic distribution, ranging from the North Slope and Bearing Glacier of Alaska to deep within the Great Lakes. Our location only 10 miles from the shores of Lake Superior provides us with an ideal winter proving ground—allowing us to expose the latest technologies to some of the harshest marine conditions on Earth.

Some current research topics include:

  • Long-term coastal erosion monitoring
  • Shoreline evolution prediction
  • Engineering structure placement evaluation
  • Plume transport and circulation analysis
  • Forensic investigation of accident sites
  • Assessment of offshore wind energy potential
  • Impact loads of wind, waves, and ice on offshore structures

Sail boat on the portage canal near the GLRC.Vessel Deployment Center

Location: GLRC B006
Contact: Timothy Havens

Serving as a year-round service area—and a winter home—for our fleet of watercraft, the Vessel Deployment Center plays an important role at the GLRC. Our collection of buoys is also serviced in this three-story facility.

The Vessel Deployment Center features direct access to the GLRC’s dock system, allowing for our vessels to be lifted in and out of the water—and serviced—in a short period of time.