亚洲无码 senior Nigel Watkins spent his summer vacation along the French Riviera and scenic Italian waterways. It was not, however, just 鈥渇un in the sun.鈥�
Watkins, who is majoring in , was honing his skills through a two-month internship with the European boat builder Vita Yachts.
鈥淭o be honest, I didn鈥檛 know what I was getting myself into,鈥� Watkins said.
He鈥檇 read about the company and was intrigued that they specialized in high-performance electric-powered boats, Watkins said. He contacted the company, and after a flurry of Skype interviews and emails, he was offered the job as a naval architecture and marine engineering intern.
鈥淚鈥檝e always had a passion for clean energy and believe that鈥檚 where the marine sector will eventually migrate to, so it was a perfect fit being able to combine my two passions of luxury yachting and clean energy,鈥� Watkins said.
鈥淲hat I didn鈥檛 realize was over the span of a couple months I鈥檇 get to travel all over southern Europe working with some of the best designers and engineers this side of the world had to offer.鈥�
The first couple of weeks were very production-focused and included meeting all of the boats鈥� contractors and manufacturers, Watkins said.
鈥淭he company is constantly trying to improve anything and everything from hull design to seat fabric so it was important to meet with those respective manufacturers to get the best product,鈥� he said.
Watkins was assigned to work under the company鈥檚 head of performance, who is a former chief engineer for the Mercedes Formula 1 auto racing team, and Vita鈥檚 head of production, who is a former super-yacht project manager.
The first month was mainly spent performing sea trials in Lago Maggiore, Italy and testing the newest Vita model, Watkins said. The boats, a 27-foot and 30-foot models, can fit eight to 10 people comfortably, he said.
鈥淰ita is also the only boat in the world that can supercharge much like Tesla, and we have our own in-house network of superchargers along the French Riviera,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e spent this summer perfecting those systems and software to allow clients to seamlessly cruise along the Mediterranean with zero carbon emissions.鈥�
Watkins spent the rest of the summer between Cannes,France and Monaco working with clients and consultants to perfect the final designs for a full production roll-out, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 satisfying work knowing that this project will hopefully have a domino effect and show the world the capabilities of electric propulsion,鈥� he said. 鈥淏eing a part of a small team has given me the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of the company from marketing to design to testing.
鈥淭hanks to my education at 亚洲无码, I felt like I could consistently contribute and add ideas so that by the end of the internship it would be equally beneficial for both parties. I can鈥檛 thank everyone at Vita enough for the experience and look forward to what鈥檚 in store for the future.鈥�
Watkins said the College of Engineering, as well as his involvement in student government and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, gave him the leadership and communication skills that made for a successful internship.
鈥淭he naval architecture and marine engineering department at 亚洲无码 is second to none, and it really shows when you鈥檙e put in the field,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淭he professors prepare you in a way where they don鈥檛 hold your hand, but rather make you work through problems on your own which is realistically what will happen once you graduate.鈥�
