The Marine Technology Society supports many educational activities that can help you begin building a career in ocean engineering.

One such program is the ROV competitions. High school and college students often become interested in ocean engineering through their regional ROV competitions, during which teams compete to create remotely operated vehicles that can move and perform underwater (usually in a swimming pool). Winners of the regional competitions compete at the International ROV Competition. The NASA Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Lab is hosting the international event this year in June. The ROV competitions are sponsored by the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center.

Another MTS-supported event is the National Oceans Sciences Bowl (NOSB). The NOSB is a timed competition in which teams of high school students compete to answer question on the biology, physics, geology and chemistry of the oceans, as well as related geography, technology, history and current events questions. There are 25 regional competitions around the country. Once students excel at the regional level, they go on to a national competition.

Summer institutes and workshops are excellent ways for future engineers to learn more about ocean engineering. The MATE Center is a great resource of student internship opportunities, including positions with the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet of research vessels.

Six-week summer internships for high school students are offered by the San Diego (California) Section of the Marine Technology Society. These internships place motivated high school students in businesses and institutions where they get hands-on experience working with engineers.

Ryan Luecke was an MTS San Diego Section intern with SonTek, a maker of high technology instruments. "I built a fully functional RiverCat Acoustic Doppler Profiler (ADP) prototype based on SonTek's previous RiverCat design," Ryan wrote in a letter of appreciation to the San Diego Section. "The old model used an expensive and non-user-friendly radio transmitter, which needed a laptop and 12 volt battery out in the field. My new prototype uses Bluetooth wireless technology, which is compatible with laptops and PDAs. This wireless solution cut the price in half, and is very user friendly." He goes on to note, "This internship has reinforced my interest and belief that I want to pursue an engineering degree. I really enjoyed the challenges and rewards I received working with the engineers."

Elizabeth Zhang was still working as an intern when she wrote about her experiences. "Things are going well with my internship at Deep Sea Power and Light. It's been such a great experience getting to work on projects with real engineers. The company is amazing, with so many resources at my disposal to work with and learn from. Everyone at Deep Sea is very friendly and helpful. I've learned how to use Solid Works, a 3-D modeling program, fairly well. The main project I'm working on is designing and making a prototype battery pack for one of Deep Sea's products. I've also helped with some product pressure testing. I really like how my projects require 'hands-on' work, and I get to practice my building and soldering skills. Overall, I'm greatly enjoying my internship at Deep Sea Power and Light. Thank you, Mr. Nordell and MTS, for giving me this opportunity."

Scholarships are available to help you pay for your college education while studying ocean engineering. The Marine Technology Society offers thousands of dollars to high school and college students. In 2005 alone, MTS awarded $94,000 in student scholarships.

In many of the ocean industries, like oil and gas exploration, the average age of the professional worker is over 50. What does this mean for you? It means there are abundant career opportunities.

The study of oceans and their wonders is exciting and fulfilling. The Marine Technology Society is ready to help you become the best ocean engineer you can be. Good luck in your future career.

For more information, please visit the Marine Technology Society at www.mtsociety.org.