Coming to Stevens: The Center for Maritime Systems on the Hudson
A renowned research center directed by Dr. Michael S. Bruno, the Davidson Laboratory at Stevens Institute of Technology advances coastal and marine engineering through its many partnerships with industry, government and the academic world.
Now, Stevens plans to construct a new waterfront facility for this work - the Center for Maritime Systems, a research center that will incorporate multipurpose lab facilities and a science showcase located on the Hudson River in Hoboken. The total anticipated cost to build the center is $20 million. The federal government kicked off the effort with an initial seed grant of $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Education, a portion of which will be used to develop architectural plans for the center.
Fund raising has begun for the construction of the center, which is also a part of the Institute's five-year, $102 million capital campaign. Private gifts of $5 million are being sought on top of what Stevens hopes will be broad government and corporate support.
A significant goal of the project is to relocate the 67-year-old Davidson Laboratory from its current Stevens campus building on Hudson Street to the riverfront center below Castle Point. The relocation will help further the lab's global mission and partnerships.
"The Center for Maritime Systems will promote applied research aimed at safeguarding the environmental and economic vitality of the estuary and the port," says Stevens' president, Dr. Harold J. Raveche. "This facility will be a vital addition not only to our campus, but will also benefit the general public from across the New York City region and beyond. Many of our Technogenesis partners will become collaborators-in-residence at the center, adding new dimensions to the Technogenesis® process at Stevens."
Technogenesis, a term trademarked by Stevens, describes the university's educational direction, which supports the process of nurturing new technologies from innovation to implementation.
Environmentally sound methods must be found to enhance the economic and recreational opportunities afforded by ports and estuaries. The maritime center will be devoted to the study of the ecology, economics and infrastructure of the Port of New York, which is central to the region's $50 billion maritime economy. The center will also partner with government and industry to seek solutions to many pressing problems that confront the region. The center will conduct leading-edge research in the fields of naval architecture and ocean engineering.
The environmental challenges facing the estuary are unique to densely populated urban ports. These include heavy development along sensitive waterfront areas, eroding shorelines, water pollution from current and past sources, wildlife habitat loss, and siltation of navigation channels and ship berths, threatening the viability of the port.
"From historic Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook National Seashore to the Port of New York and New Jersey, the Hudson-Raritan Estuary is home to perhaps the most vital collection of waterways and coastlines in the world," says Bruno. "Ensuring that these resources are preserved for future generations will require vigorous stewardship of the state's inland and coastal waterways.
"The center will be unique in its combination of advanced research, technology development and commercialization, and public education and outreach," he says. "The center's displays will include exciting accounts of the harbor's development, which in many ways reflects the development of the United States' infrastructure and economy. There are many great stories to be shared."
Davidson Lab currently promotes Technogenesis activity though a number of dynamic, technology-based programs. Among these, the Center for Intelligent Marine Systems is a multidisciplinary effort to address problems related to the continued growth and enhancement of our nation's maritime transport system. The New Jersey Coastal Protection Technical Assistance Service (CPTAS) is a state-supported research and education program that advises on issues of erosion and shoreline ecology. Stevens' Center for Environmental Engineering is also closely involved with Davidson Lab in tackling issues of pollution control and remediation through Technogenesis projects. The lab also continues to be actively involved in R&D efforts to develop the next generation of marine craft.
The new Davidson Lab at the maritime center will include the most technologically advanced wave-testing tank in the world, visible to members of the public via a transparent exterior wall. A waterfront platform for a suite of scientific instruments will be a major research element, along with docking facilities for Stevens research vessels and visiting vessels from other institutions.
A museum-quality public outreach and interpretive center will attract visitors from throughout the region. Revolving modular exhibits will keep the public informed of current research projects and recall the rich history of the harbor. Classroom space will be built into the center's structure, the better to provide interactive programs to young visitors. The history of naval architecture at Stevens, including the historic model-testing at Davidson Lab of many vessels destined for the America's Cup competition, will also be an educational component of the center.
The center will also offer the public open space as a cornerstone of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. Shared office space for permanent staff from Technogenesis partnering agencies and organizations, as well as high-tech conference facilities, will be vital features of the center.
Architect Demetri Sarantitis will design the state-of-the-art facility, with emphasis on transparency of structure and public interactivity. The targeted date for completion of the center facility is the latter half of 2004.
Please visit the Davidson Lab website at www.stevens.edu/engineering/cms/ for more information about the lab's research.
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.
Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.
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