Education and Training
The Maritime Security Center provides maritime security-focused educational programs designed to enhance our nation's maritime domain awareness, the resiliency of our Marine Transportation System, and the technical skills and leadership capabilities of current and prospective maritime and homeland security workforce. Central to the Center's mission is the transfer of its research into maritime security-centric educational programs, professional development opportunities and workshops.
The center’s educational programs leverage the subject matter expertise and research assets of its academic partners to provide multidisciplinary hands-on learning opportunities and programs for students, professionals, stakeholders, and the general public. Our partners include:
Stevens Institute of Technology
MIT
University of Miami
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Louisiana State University
Elizabeth City State University
Florida Atlantic University
Student Opportunities
The Maritime Security Center offers the following educational programs:
Maritime Security Center's graduate-level research assistantships are contingent upon Center funding. Assistantships are generally one-year awards that include tuition support and a stipend. Qualified students are recruited from within Stevens Institute of Technology's School of Engineering and Science and are required to complete research assignments in conjunction with the Center's research primary investigators (PIs) and affiliate Stevens Institute of Technology faculty.
Graduate Research Assistants
2020-2021 Academic Year
Student | Research Project |
Jonathan Adamson, Chemistry and Nanotechnology | Vessel Sulfur Emission Detection |
Ethan Jones, Computer and Software Engineering | Data Visualization Tools |
2019-2020 Academic Year
Student | Research Project |
Jonathan Adamson, Chemistry and Nanotechnology | Qualitative Identification of Fentanyl and its Analogs by Use of Functionalized Carbon Quantum Dots |
Eric Isaksen, Ocean Engineering | USCG Safety and Security Concerns for Offshore High Voltage Substations |
Kevin Raleigh, Ocean Engineering | Investigation of Hydrodynamics for Waystations for Drone Charging |
2018-2019 Academic Year
Student | Research Project |
Chance Petersen | Trajectory Reconstruction Models for Maritime Vessel Anomaly Detection |
Helen Walter-Cardinal | Path Planning for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles |
2017-2018 Academic Year
Student | Research Project |
Luciano Triolo | Guidelines for the Development of a Remote Multispectral Sensing-Based Vessel Emissions Monitoring Systems |
The Summer Research Institute (SRI) is an eight-week intensive research program for undergraduate and graduate-level STEM students. The program provides a unique opportunity for homeland security career-focused students to engage in hands-on research in conjunction with MSC research PIs, Stevens Institute of Technology faculty and the Center's DHS stakeholders. Student research projects tackle critical issues in maritime domain awareness, emergency response and maritime system resilience to name a few.
Learn more about the Summer Research Institute >
Maritime Systems Master's Degree Fellowship Program
Stevens Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Maritime Security Center, have been awarded three consecutive DHS Career Development Grants. The DHS Career Development Grants provide for full-tuition support and generous monthly stipends high-potential engineering students entering Stevens Institute of Technology's Master's Degree program in Maritime Systems.
The objective of the fellowship program is to enhance the knowledge base, technical skills, and leadership capabilities of the nation's future maritime security workforce and to provide greater access and support for U.S. students pursuing a homeland security-focused Master's Degree in Maritime Systems. This fellowship program provides enhanced experiential opportunities and direct pathways for highly skilled students to obtain technical leadership positions in the maritime security domain.
Maritime Security Doctoral Fellowship Program
The Maritime Security Doctoral Fellowship is a three-year fellowship for high-potential, academically talented students interested in conducting cutting edge research and advanced academic study in the fields of Maritime and Homeland Security. The research-oriented fellowship program provides full-tuition support, a monthly stipend, and other paid fees for individuals of superior caliber who will make original contributions to the theory and practice in the field of Maritime Security. The three-year accelerated Doctoral Fellowship is supported through funding by a Department of Homeland Security Career Development Grant (CDG).
The mission of the Fellowship program is to provide a strong foundation for solving critical national and global challenges in the maritime domain and Marine Transportation System (MTS) through the use of state-of-the-art technologies and scientific approaches.
Professional Development Programs
The Maritime Security Center offers the following professional development opportunities:
Maritime Cybersecurity Program
The Maritime Security Center in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command-Maritime Cyber Readiness Branch, the USCG Office of Port and Facility Compliance, and USCG Sector NY have developed a Maritime Cybersecurity professional development course tailored to the education needs of USCG marine safety personnel.
Maritime Cyber Risk Management and Leadership Course
The Maritime Security Center is piloting a one-day, instructor-led professional development course tailored to maritime industry C-suite and senior-level executives. The course is designed to provide a practical understanding of cybersecurity concepts and terminology, and an awareness of cyber-physical risks, vulnerabilities, and mitigations within the context of the maritime transportation sector.
Discussion-Based Tabletop Exercises
MSC Research PI Brant Mitchell, Director, Stephenson Disaster Management Institute (SDMI) at Louisiana State University led the Center's efforts to develop discussion-based tabletop exercises to support port facility emergency response and preparedness capabilities. The objective of the Center’s work in this area was to build a web-based repository of scenarios and exercise templates that can be used and customized by the USCG and port facility operators across the country.
Review the Exercise Development Kits developed by SDMI >
STEM Educators Workshops
The Maritime Security Center has developed a series of workshops for STEM educators to inspire curriculum and program development and build greater awareness of the maritime sector.