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Seminar: Frugal Data-Driven Planning on Resource-Constrained Maritime Missions
ORE ZoomMelkior Ornik, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign *Online only* Zoom Meeting Link Meeting ID: 963 5962 3640 Passcode: OREseminar https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/96359623640 Fast, successful, and efficient planning is a core challenge of high-level autonomy in complex environments. The obstacles are seemingly insurmountable. Individual agents often face challenges in terms of resource and compute constraints, limited sensing and communication capabilities, and lack of a priori knowledge about the operating environment. Planning for large teams is burdened by either curse of dimensionality or complex organizational patterns of decentralization. As a result, standard learning or AI methods are largely
Seminar: ORE Student Highlights (1/2)
Holmes 247 2540 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI, United StatesPresentations by: Eliza Taylor Cami Dillon George Evans Gabe Nelson Norman Chung Graduate Students Ocean and Resources Engineering, SOEST, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa *In-person (HOLM 247) & via zoom* Zoom link Meeting ID: 963 5962 3640 Passcode: OREseminar https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/96359623640 Seminar Flyer
MS Plan A Defense: Acoustic Signal Propagation from Kaua’i Beacon to ALOHA Cabled Observatory
Holmes 287 2540 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI, United StatesElizabeth Taylor Masters Student Department of Ocean & Resources Engineering University of Hawai’i at Manoa **This defense will be held in person (POST 723) and Zoom** In-person: POST 723 Meeting ID: 828 2791 1158 Passcode: Eliza2025 https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/82827911158 Acoustic tomography is a powerful technique for remote ocean sampling that measures ocean properties over integrated acoustic paths. The information gained can be used to refine ocean models and improve the understanding of oceanographic processes. Tomography has diverse applications, including the study of internal waves, temperature variability, gyre dynamics, tides, and other ocean phenomena. Acoustic tomography leverages the fact that sound speed is
Seminar: ORE Student Highlights (2/2)
Holmes 247 2540 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI, United StatesPresentations by: Scott Hellinger Jake Dennis Clint Reyes Xinyi Zhang Steven Wilhelm Dylan Stegman Graduate Students Ocean and Resources Engineering, SOEST, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa *In-person (HOLM 247) & via zoom* Zoom link Meeting ID: 963 5962 3640 Passcode: OREseminar https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/96359623640 Seminar Flyer
MS Plan A Defense: Evaluation of Coastal Imaging Georectification For Measuring Runup With UAV’s On Hawai’i Beaches
Holmes 287 2540 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI, United StatesGabriel Nelson Masters Student Department of Ocean & Resources Engineering University of Hawai’i at Manoa **This defense will be held in-person (HOLM 287) and Zoom** Meeting ID: 884 1267 3489 Passcode: GabrielMS https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/88412673489 Coastal inundation presents a significant and escalating threat to island communities such as Hawaii, driven by rising sea levels and increasing wave activity. Under these circumstances, precise measurement of wave runup is crucial for accurate coastal hazard assessments, effective mitigation strategies, and sound engineering practices. UAV-based photogrammetry paired with the Coastal Imaging Research Network (CIRN) Toolbox offers a powerful tool for coastal image processing. However, CIRN’s standard
MS Plan A Defense: Path Optimization for Acoustical Oceanography Applications
POST 723 1680 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI, United StatesPrajna Jandial Masters Student Department of Ocean & Resources Engineering University of Hawai’i at Manoa **This defense will be held in person (POST 723) and Zoom** Meeting ID: 832 8033 9161 Passcode: 2025 https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/83280339161 This MS work aims to contribute to underwater acoustic sampling techniques through machine learning. It has two objectives: (1) Optimizing the sampling process for underwater sound fields and (2) Optimizing data assimilation for ocean acoustic tomography. To address the first objective, we developed an approach that leverages autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to sample unknown sound fields. Unlike fixed sensor networks with spatial constraints, AUVs can make
Seminar: Ocean Engineer in the Oil and Gas Industry
Amal Phadke, Ph.D. Principal Ocean Engineer, ConocoPhillips, Houston, Texas *Online only* Zoom Meeting Link Meeting ID: 963 5962 3640 Passcode: OREseminar https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/96359623640 I have worked in the oil and gas industry for nearly 24 years since graduating from the University of Hawaii with a PhD in Ocean Engineering. This presentation will focus on my experience as an ocean engineer along with my perspective on the key roles and responsibilities of an ocean engineer as it relates to offshore oil & gas projects. I will provide an overview of the various stages of a typical offshore floating production system capital project,
MS Plan A: Numerical Modeling of Wave Dynamics at Ulupa’u Crater: Validation of SWAN and XBeach with Field Observations
Camryn Dillon Masters Student Department of Ocean & Resources Engineering University of Hawai’i at Manoa **This defense will be held in person (POST 708) and Zoom** Meeting ID: 858 0966 0255 Passcode: CamrynMS Zoom link: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/85809660255 This study aims to validate the SWAN and nonhydrostatic XBeach models by comparing simulated wave transformations to field observations collected offshore of Ulupaʻu Crater, O'ahu. The models were calibrated using site-specific bathymetry and wave conditions to replicate observed wave behavior. The accuracy of each model was assessed using spectral analysis and time-series comparisons with ADCP and pressure sensor data. This work explores the effectiveness
MS Plan A Defense: Resident AUV design and validation for autonomous docking and charging at Kilo Nalu Observatory
Holmes 287 2540 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI, United StatesNorman Chung Masters Student Department of Ocean & Resources Engineering University of Hawai’i at Manoa **This defense will be held in person (Holmes 287) and Zoom** Meeting ID: 839 1898 9765 Passcode: NormanMS Zoom link: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/83918989765 Near-shore environments are important to oceanographers because of their relationship to the biogeochemical and anthropogenic processes which occur on land and at sea. Some traditional approaches to researching these environments include using fixed installations, such as cabled observatories and moored buoys, or mobile platforms like remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Each of these approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages.
MS Plan B: Evaluating Stability and Structural Integrity of a Modified Cargo Ship
Jacob Dennis Masters Student Department of Ocean & Resources Engineering University of Hawai’i at Manoa **This defense will be held in person (POST 418) and Zoom** Meeting ID: 835 7663 5393 Passcode: JacobMS Zoom link: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/83576635393 Modifying existing ships can be a cost-effective way to meet new operational demands without the time and expense of building entirely new vessels. One common modification is increasing the vessel’s length to expand cargo capacity. However, such changes can significantly impact a ship’s stability and structural integrity, raising important safety considerations. This project investigates the effects of a 52-foot hull extension on a Mariner-class
Seminar: Coastal Engineering in the Pacific
Holmes 247 2540 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI, United StatesDavid A. Smith, PhD, PE Senior Coastal Engineer, Sea Engineering, Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii *In-person (HOLM 247) & via zoom* Zoom link Meeting ID: 963 5962 3640 Passcode: OREseminar https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/96359623640 Join me as I reflect on my path from a new graduate to a senior coastal engineer. This presentation will explore how engineers contribute to solving complex problems at every stage of their careers—starting with well-defined tasks and growing into leadership roles on projects with no clear roadmap. I’ll share insights into the evolution of technical and professional responsibilities in the consulting engineering world, and wrap up with highlights from some
Seminar: A Low-Cost, Modular Autonomous Water Sampler (MAWS) for Coastal Biogeochemical Monitoring
Holmes 247 2540 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI, United StatesOlivia DeCroix, Darin Hiraldo, Kaja Reinhardt, Cameron Richardson, Maliheh Sarvandi Graduate Students, ORE 653, SOEST, University of Hawaii at Manoa *In-person (HOLM 247) & via zoom* Zoom link Meeting ID: 963 5962 3640 Passcode: OREseminar https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/96359623640 Water sampling is an integral part of understanding aquatic systems. The ability to autonomously sample water at various depths and locations has advanced our temporal, and spatial understanding of Earth’s hydrology and biogeochemistry. Traditional ship-based sampling methods provide limited temporal resolution, failing to capture short-term fluctuations in seawater chemistry. Compared to human-led collection efforts, the increased temporal and spatial data coverage associated with automated