Oceans '13 MTS/IEEE San Diego Preview

Heeding the call to join “An Ocean in Common,” authors flooded the Oceans ‘13 MTS/IEEE San Diego technical program committee with a record number of abstracts in a single day.

Special topics include an Ultra-deep track discussing current and prospective robotic technologies, plus a panel of scientists to consider research questions. Oceans2013 Chair Bob Wernli, and Co-Chair Kevin Hardy, developer of the unmanned landers for James Cameron’s DeepSea Challenge Expedition, will be the session conveners. “James’ intention is to be certain the door remains open to other explorers,” Hardy said. “This track will help facilitate that vision. We’ve barely imagined the possibilities.” Cameron will coauthor one paper in the track.

Oceanographer, explorer, author, lecturer, Dr. Sylvia Earle joins other notables on the Plenary Session. Fondly called Her Deepness, Dr. Earle has been at the frontier of deep ocean exploration for four decades. She's led more than 50 undersea expeditions, and been a tireless advocate for our oceans and the creatures who live there.

Special ground tours are being arranged including exhibitor equipment demos from a ship, and a tour of a new NOAA laboratory located on the north end of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UCSD.

Tutorials will attract a large audience, with a dozen programs from fiberoptics to free vehicles, and a first ever TOURtorial program on Rapid Prototyping and Additive Manufacturing. Oceans ‘13 Chairman Bob Wernli coined the phrase to describe a tutorial held offsite from the conference. Tutorials Chair Bill Porto, working his fifth conference, is delighted with the range of subjects. “We’ve added several new topics to a few perennial favorites, all with a high degree of relevance to the ocean engineering community,” said Porto. He added, “Instructors are drawn from industry and academia to provide improvement in design skills and process knowledge to attendees and their companies.” Confirmed tutorial subjects include:

“Optical Communications Design Principles: Fiber and Free Space”
“Multibeam Imaging SONARS: Fundamentals, Use and Specification”
“AUV Technology and Application Basics”
“Underwater Optical Imaging: Theory and Practice”
“Interpreting ADCP Data – Efficiently and Effectively”
“BioAcoustics : Passive Acoustics Monitoring”
“Narrowband and Broadband Beamforming””
“A Primer on Coherent and Coherent-on-Receive Marine Radar Fundamentals and Applications to Remote Sensing of Waves and Currents”   
“Fundamentals of Free Vehicle Design and Operation”
“Fundamentals of Additive Manufacturing for Ocean Applications”
“Fixed Position Monitoring using Split-beam Hydroacoustics”   
“Hydroacoustic Methods for Aquatic Habitat Assessment and Mapping”


Commercial exhibit contracts are booming. The first hall has sold out, and the second is filing up fast. “Good spaces are still available, said Exhibits Chairman, Brock Rosenthal, “but interested companies should contact us soon as one hall has sold out already, and the second will as well.” The exhibit hall will also host the student poster competition and an “Academic Row” of local and regional institutions of higher education.

The growing current list of confirmed exhibitors includes:
Advanced Fiber Products
Airmar Technology
AK Industrires
American Meteorological Society
AML Oceanographic Ltd.
ASL Environmental Sciences
AXYS Technologies, Inc.
BioSonics, Inc.
Biospherical Instruments Inc.
BIRNS, Inc.
Bluefin Robotics Corp.
Bokam Engineering Inc.
Bowtech Products Ltd.
Campbell Scientific
CARIS
Channel Technologies Group
Chukar Water Jet, Inc.
CICESE
CLS America, Inc.
CODAR Ocean Sensors
Compusult Ltd
Consortium for Ocean Leadership
Datawell BV
Deep Trekker Inc.
DeepSea Power & Light
Diving Unlimited International, Inc
DOE Inc.
DOER Marine
Edgetech
EMO Marine Technologies
Energy Sales
Engineered Syntactic System
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)
Exelis Acoustic Systems
Exocetus Development LLC
Falmat Cable
Falmouth Scientific, Inc.
Furuno USA, Inc.
Geometrics
Global Dynamix, Inc
Global Ocean Design LLC
Greensea Systems, Inc.
GRI Simulations, Inc.
Hawboldt Industries
Hydracon Company
Hydro Group PLC
Hydro International
IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES)
Imagenex Technology Corp.
International Ocean Systems
InterOcean Systems, Inc.
Inuktun US, LLC
IXBlue, Inc.
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science & Technology
JFE Advantech Co., Ltd.
JouBeh Technologies
Knudsen Engineering Limited
Kongsberg
L-3 Communications Klein Associates, Inc.
LinkQuest, Inc.
Liquid Robotics
Lockheed Martin
Loggerhead Instruments
Macartney Inc.
Marine Magnetics
Marine Sonic Technology, Ltd.
Marine Technology Reporter
MATE Center
Measurement Technology NW
MetOcean Data Systems
Metocean Data Systems
Moog
Mooring Systems, Inc.
MTS
MTS-50 Years
Multi-Electronique (MTE) Inc.
Myriax-Echoview
Nautilus Marine/Vitrovex
New England Marine Renewable Energy Center
NiGK Corporation
NIUST National Institute of Undersea Science & Technology
NortekUSA
Ocean Aero
Ocean Innovations
Ocean Networks Canada
Ocean News & Technology/ ECO Magazine
Ocean Sonics
Oceanic Consulting Corp.
Oceanic Imaging Consultants, Inc.
Oceans 14 St. Johns
Oceans 14 Taipei/IEEE/OES Taipei Chapter
Oceans 15 DC
Oceanscience
OceanServer Technology, Inc.
Oceanworks International
OneOcean
Open Seas Instrumentation, Inc.
PanGeo Subsea
Penn State Applied Research Lab
Phoenix International, Inc
PNI Sensor Corporation
Polymer Corporation
Port & Airport Research Institute, Japan
Precision Measurement Engineering, Inc.
Prevco Subsea LLC
Prime Technology
QI Incorporated
RBR
Remote Ocean Systems
RESON INC
ROMOR
Rowe Technologies
Saab Seaeye
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Sea Technology Magazine
Sea-Bird Scientific
SeaBotix, Inc.
Seacon
SeaFormatics Group, Inc.
Seamor
Seatechrim
Seismic Asia Pacific
SGK System Giken Co. Ltd.
Sidus Solutions
Sonardyne, Inc.
Sonic Corporation
Sonotronics
Sound Metrics
Sound Ocean Systems, Inc.
South Bay Cable Corp.
Southwest Electronic Energy Corp
SubC Control
Subchem Systems, Inc
Subsea Technologies, Inc.
Sutron Corporation
Techno-Ocean Network & Kobe CVB
Tecnadyne
Teledyne Marine
Teledyne Marine Interconnect Systems
The Tsurumi-Seiki Co., Ltd.
Tritech International Ltd
Turner Designs, Inc.
Ultra Electronics
Underwater Technology Research Center
VideoRay LLC
Xeos Technologies Inc.
Xylem

The number of Co-Participating Societies and nonprofit foundations is still growing with the recent addition of the AAUS (American Academy of Underwater Sciences) and the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). Over a dozen professional and scientific societies will join the conference sponsors, MTS and IEEE/OES, to focus on all matters aquatic. “The fusion of perspectives is going to make this a very exciting and productive conference,” said John Scanlon, Oceans ‘13 Co-Participating Society Chair.

With the help of the Oceans ‘13 Academic Host, Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UCSD, Chairman of Academic Outreach Kevin Delaneyand Academic Row coordinator Jim Faheyare inviting institutions of higher learning from around southern California and across North America.

The conference website has added a few new features, including a media button where print ads, web banners, and press releases are available for magazines, eNews, and web pages for cross-promotion by exhibitors, Co-Participating Societies, and academic institutions.

Student participation is encouraged with discounted registration fees, a student poster competition, volunteer opportunities, and as understudy Session Co-Chairs.

Other pluses for this conference include the Marie Technology Society 50th Anniversary, a number of subject specific Town Hall meetings, a Saturday Teachers workshop, Sunday golf tournament, a raffle for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a Wednesday evening Gala onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway, a two-night underwater film festival open to attendees and the public, and a host of local ground tours in and around San Diego. A new iPhone app will be unveiled that allows attendees to plan their daily sessions around their greatest interests.

Online registration for Oceans ‘13 MTS/IEEE San Diego will open early in June 2013. Find more information at the Oceans ‘13 MTS/IEEE San Diego conference website www.oceans13mtsieeesandiego.org.