The Labrador catamaran project has been conceived of as a combination research/education program, with all of the overlapping activities which that statement implies. The opportunities to learn and teach go in multiple directions, which is the best way to conduct any educational process. Also, this project and its' programs have the potential to evolve with each phase of development, which is the mark of a good scientific study program. Of course, the effectiveness of the process is increased when future vessels are developed using knowledge gained from this project, but that is a subject for another day.
The essential elements of programming with the Labrador catamaran are:
1) The boat is to be available in a ready to use condition, with multiple attachment points for engines and other equipment. A detailed drawing of the boat and attachment points will be provided in advance for the participants.
2) Safety equipment and a chase boat will also be provided.
3) All operators of the Labrador during testing will be appropriately licensed (i.e. Connecticut Safe Boating Certificate).
4) Schools will be invited to field teams of students to compete in an energy-efficiency testing program. Competitions will be held for students at the middle school, high school, and college levels.
5) The premise of these competitions will be to determine energy use efficiency in terms of: distance, and speed over distance. Each team will be given a set amount of energy (initially is gasoline) to work with, and will be tasked to come up with the engine, drive train, propeller, etc., which will move the Labrador the greatest distance. From that rough parameter and the baseline of information acquired, a series of contests will evolve, each building on the results of the preceding round of contests. These will include:
*allowing the energy input to be measured in kilowatts, thus allowing alternative energy sources (biofuels, batteries, etc.,) to be used
*allowing external energy inputs (wind, solar, etc.)
*making and testing significant changes to the hull design of the Labrador (lift foils, changes to hull shape). Ultimately, the most efficient modifications will be made "permanent", with input used for the development of a second generation vessel
6) Further testing of propulsion and other design concepts will be carried out in rougher sea conditions, to ascertain viability of concepts in "real world" conditions.
7) Finally, as part of the development and funding of this program, it will be a primary goal to provide competitive scholarship funding, logistical support for school fundraising efforts, and/or prize monies to winning teams for the purpose of continuing studies into energy-efficiency design and engineering.
Within this working format, it is expected that several further streams of study and educational opportunities will emerge. Amongst these are:
a) Opportunities for older students to act as mentors for younger students
b) The ability to develop basic mathematical models and projections on the potential effects of energy efficient recreational and commercial watercraft on environmental and economic trajectories
This project and program concept is in its early stages, and the final program will need to be developed in detail to bring it fully on line. At this point the input of potential participants is the primary need, to move this process along to the next active stage. For this purpose, inquiries may be directed to: Jon Persson at: jonpersson7@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Building A Good Program
Building a good program around the Labrador catamaran requires two fundamental things:
1) The basic boat, equipment, structural components, testing equipment, safety gear, etc., needs to be fully operational.
2) There needs to be a program-format which provides safety and guidance, but no artificial restrictions, for student projects and research programs.
Finishing and equipping the boat is simply a matter of hours and materials, ideally working in a reasonable workspace. There are some costs involved here, of course, which can be dispersed over a wide enough audience to keep individual participant costs low. Also, some grant writing and fundraising for the project is anticipated. Details of amounts of work, materials, equipment, and so on, will be forthcoming in some later posts.
Setting up good teaching/research programs is also fairly straightforward, but does require a considerable level of attention to details of consistency, recording, weather conditions, and so on. The ability to calculate vessel weight and speeds is vitally important. Also, there should be consideration of chase boat availability for more radical experiments, especially hybrid wind-power concepts.
The next post will begin to break down the material and worklist aspects of getting this program up and started.
1) The basic boat, equipment, structural components, testing equipment, safety gear, etc., needs to be fully operational.
2) There needs to be a program-format which provides safety and guidance, but no artificial restrictions, for student projects and research programs.
Finishing and equipping the boat is simply a matter of hours and materials, ideally working in a reasonable workspace. There are some costs involved here, of course, which can be dispersed over a wide enough audience to keep individual participant costs low. Also, some grant writing and fundraising for the project is anticipated. Details of amounts of work, materials, equipment, and so on, will be forthcoming in some later posts.
Setting up good teaching/research programs is also fairly straightforward, but does require a considerable level of attention to details of consistency, recording, weather conditions, and so on. The ability to calculate vessel weight and speeds is vitally important. Also, there should be consideration of chase boat availability for more radical experiments, especially hybrid wind-power concepts.
The next post will begin to break down the material and worklist aspects of getting this program up and started.
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