Techniques for use in connection with determining an optimized route for a vehicle include obtaining a target state, a fixed initial position of the vehicle, and dynamic flow information, and determining an optimized route from the fixed initial position to the target state using the dynamic flow information.

More details can be found here.

The U.S. Patent Office has issued a patent to Pierre, Deepak, Chinmay, and Pat for techniques for use in connection with determining an optimized route for a vehicle. The patent will be officially issued on September 6, 2022, as US Patent No. 11,435,199. More information and details can be found here. Congratulations Pierre, Deepak, Chinmay, and Pat!

Patrick Wahlig, a rising high school senior who joined MSEAS during summer 2022 as an RSI scholar, has received recognition for having a paper in the top five of those produced by all RSI students this year. His paper, “Towards a System for Modeling the Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) in Massachusetts Bay,” focuses on designing a computer program modeling the impacts of ocean acidification on shellfish growth in Massachusetts Bay, calibrating existing equations to local conditions. Congrats Patrick!

Abstract: To predict and mitigate anthropogenic impacts on the ocean, we must understand the underlying systems that govern the flow of carbon and pollutants throughout it. In situ observations over time provide empirical evidence to ground analytical models, which could predict impacts or simulate intervention strategies. Unfortunately, in situ instrumentation is often lacking or nonexistent for key indicators of anthropogenic change. To help fill the technological gap, we developed two instruments for (1) the ocean carbon system and (2) microplastic quantification. The CSPEC is a carbon system instrument that measures the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) and a deep-sea membrane inlet. The design of the CSPEC will be presented, from first-principles modeling, to surface-monitoring prototype, to a deep-sea demonstration at the Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent fields. Finally, the demonstration of impedance spectroscopy for flow-through detection of microplastics, and its potential for in situ microplastic quantification will be shared.

Biography: Beckett Colson is a PhD candidate in the MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic (WHOI) Joint Program. He received his SB in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering from MIT in 2016. He is a student in Dr. Anna Michel’s laboratory at WHOI where he designs in situ instrumentation for dissolved gases, the carbon system, and microplastics. He enjoys the interdisciplinary nature of oceanographic research and his goal is to develop tools to help scientists understand anthropogenic impacts on the world’s oceans. As part of his doctoral research, Colson has participated in three oceanographic research cruises.