Component Three

Provide a forecast of what the workforce demand would be over a five-year period to produce and market your team�s technical application or process. Include the impact such production would have on the marketplace.

In America, the demand for raw, natural resources is high. Catering to both the U.S. and nations across the globe, we are obligated to deliver these items in a timely fashion and with maximum efficiency. Given these aspects of trade, we are faced with challenges in providing the best possible source of transportation that will not only be beneficial in a monetary sense, but will also have positive environmental impacts. What better candidate than barges?

Fact: "Barges safely and efficiently move fully 15 percent of our nation�s freight for less than 2 percent of the total bill"� and "move more than 800 million tons of cargo each year!"

Barges are a driving force in transit, but usually an unrecognized part of our economy. Ironically, when the average American considers modes of transporting goods, the barge industry is often overlooked. But it is in fact one of the best ways to transport products. For example, one barge can carry 1500 tons of metal that would otherwise require 20 rail cars or 75 semi-trucks.

We have proposed a product that will act as a centerboard for a fleet of barges improving their maneuverability. This improvement with have two important advantages: (1) it will shorten the time needed for empty barges to return for their next cargo-loads, and (2) it will hopefully decrease the incidence of expensive mishaps.

The following chart shows the major markets impacted by the barge industry on the Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway during 2000.

Note that nearly 44% of all river traffic is agricultural. In fact, more than one-third of all grains exported from the U.S. being carried out by barges(1). In addition to their impact on the agricultural market, barges are also responsible for moving 21% of our coal and oil to market. With the help of our product, we hope to stimulate this market by increasing the efficiency of this system minimally by 10%. In addition to the formidable commercial leverage wielded by the barge industry is the fact that it has many positive environmental impacts:

• The most fuel-efficient transportation available
• Reduced air pollution
• Fewer trucks adding to highway congestion and traffic accidents
• Reduced wear on roads, less noise, and fewer tires for disposal
• Increased access to markets

It is an economic fact that we can save a vast amount of money transporting via barge than any other means. In the coming years, the world population will continue to grow and place ever-increasing demands on our grain exports. The employment of barges is fundamental in our prosperous economy and our competitive force in the global market. Our product will hopefully raise the awareness of the importance of the barge, towboat, and tugboat industries in American shipping.

Give two examples of undergraduate or graduate degree programs in science or engineering that directly relate to your team's NCT technical application. For each program, be sure to include the following:
   the URL address of the institution,
   the department (for example, chemical engineering, electronic engineering) where the program is offered, and
   a brief description of the program of study.

The United States Naval Academy houses a whole host of maritime courses that are aimed at the engineering aspect of maritime activity. In addition to their core curriculum of: engineering, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, professional and leadership skills, which is aimed at teaching the skills required to create competent officers for the Marine Corp and the Navy, they offer courses that range from the basics of ship design to advanced material mechanics.

• Principles of Ship Performance and Naval Architecture
• Ship Structures, Hydrostatics and Stability
• Naval Materials Science and Engineering
• Ship Design
• Navigation and Piloting

A major goal of the Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering program is:

You will be an engineer, a naval architect, and an individual who is capable of finding viable economical and technical solutions to a variety of complex and open-ended engineering problems. Such as: How to safely and efficiently move a variety of cargoes across the world�s oceans (cruise liners, tankers, containerships, heavy lift ships, tug-barge units, etc.).

The USNA�s courses would be vital for one interested in the modification, production, or repair of our technology.

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy specializes in educating individuals interested in being merchant marines. They offer two different paths of service, both of which tie into our technology. Mass Maritime offers courses that cater to operating or piloting a vessel as well as courses that specialize in the engineering aspect of running a vessel. �The mission of Massachusetts Maritime Academy is to graduate educated men and women to serve the maritime industry as licensed officers or to serve the transportation, and engineering interests of the Commonwealth and the Nation.�

Listed below are a few of the courses that would be indispensable to one interested in captaining a vessel:

• Tugs and Towing
• Seamanship
• Fluid Mechanics
• Strength of Materials

Texas A&M has within its numerous graduate programs a host of under graduate programs that deal with both development and construction of our device as well as the implementation and use of our device. Their programs in Maritime Administration and Marine Transportation deal with the hands on aspect of daily use of our device while the Maritime Systems Engineering courses deal with the technical skills necessary to design construct and modify our device. Listed below are some of the classes from each program that apply to our technology.

� Inland Waterways � Port Operations, Administration and Economics � Ship design � Structural mechanics

Develop an idea for a new science and/or engineering degree program that might emerge given the advancements in scientific knowledge that the team has identified. Provide a title and 100-word description of this new degree program.

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