Welcome

On behalf of the Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, let us extend a warm welcome to all of you who will be joining us for the 50^th year celebration of our ocean engineering (OE) program. When the program was conceived in 1965, the founders could only imagine the extent to which their efforts would shape the future of ocean engineering in the United States and abroad.

Today, ocean engineers play important roles in the Navy, offshore industries, underwater communication, weather and climate prediction, commercial shipping, and a host of industries specializing in underwater technology. Continuing advances in technology and the growth in the global market place offer new opportunities to ocean engineers. Over 1500 individuals have graduated from the ocean engineering program at FAU. The OE undergraduate program is still the largest of its kind in the country, while the OE graduate program maintains its significant strength. We operate on a dual campus; the original campus in Boca Raton still serves as the primary home to our undergraduate program while the ocean-side campus at Dania Beach has seniors working side-by-side with graduate students, faculty and engineers engaged in leading edge research at SeaTech, The Institute of Ocean and Systems Engineering.

For our alumni, this will give you a chance to come together to celebrate the future as well as the past, to renew old acquaintances and meet our current students and faculty. We believe your coming together for this occasion is in keeping with the best traditions of ocean engineering that was started 50 years ago.

It will be good to have all of you here. We hope to make the occasion everything you look forward to.

Javad Hashemi, Ph.D.
Department Chair and Professor

Manhar Dhanak, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of SeaTech