NAME at Michigan

ICYMI, University of Michigan Engineering has a new astronaut in its ranks. Alumni Andre Douglas, chosen for NASA's Artemis III mission launching in 2027, is now counted among the ranks of at least 11 other Michigan Engineers who served as astronauts, including James A. McDivitt, captain of the Gemini 4 mission, during which alumnus Ed White performed the first U.S. spacewalk.

Andre graduated with a Master's in NAME at Michigan and Mechanical Engineering- University of Michigan in 2012. As a Coast Guard naval architect, he has contributed to hundreds of technical reviews for maritime vessel compliance and provided worldwide technical support for numerous field commanders on maritime casualty response efforts. He has also supported NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which developed and demonstrated technologies for deflecting asteroids away from Earth, as well as the Mars Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

📰⚓The Making of a Naval Architect: One Graduate’s Journey

Brendan Falkowski, a recent NA&ME graduate and founder of Shipwatcher News, reflects on his journey into naval architecture in his article, “Making of the Naval Architects.”

Drawing from his experiences growing up around Great Lakes shipping, studying Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan, and engaging with the maritime industry firsthand, Brendan explores the people, experiences, and opportunities that helped shape his understanding of ship design and maritime transportation.

More than a personal story, the article highlights the history, community, and legacy of Michigan’s NA&ME program and the role it has played in preparing future maritime professionals.

Read the full story on Shipwatcher News!

🏆🌊 Two NA&ME Faculty Members Honored with 2026 ASME Awards 🎉

Congratulations to Professor Lei Zuo, Herbert C. Sadler Collegiate Professor of Engineering, and Professor Krishnan Mahesh, Richard B. Couch Professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and director of the Center for Naval Research and Education, on receiving prestigious 2026 honors from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Professor Zuo was recognized with the N.O. Myklestad Award and the ASME McDonald Mentoring Award for his contributions to vibration engineering and his dedication to mentoring future engineers.

Professor Krishnan Mahesh also received the 2026 ASME Freeman Scholar Award for his contributions to fluids engineering and research on cavitation. ⚙️

These honors reflect the impact of their research, leadership, and service to the engineering community. ⚓🎉

Autonomous robots and AI models could help shipyard workers catch when a ship’s built structure differs from design drawings, allowing workers to fix problems or adapt sooner. University of Michigan Engineering is leading the American arm of an international project to develop such a system.

Funded with a $6.2 million grant from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the collaboration will design and prototype AI and robot teammates to track what was actually built inside the growing ship and compare it to a digital twin of the intended structure. The system will then create reports of mismatches that workers can use to make adjustments.

“We want to build a co-pilot system that uses AI and robotics to take some of the detective work off workers’ shoulders,” said Alan Papalia, assistant professor in NAME at Michigan and the principal investigator of the American research team.

“The system should automatically map what’s installed, identify where reality is drifting from the design, and suggest workable alternatives when something needs to change.”

Read more ⬇️

NA&ME hosted its inaugural Sustainability Symposium, bringing together students, faculty, alumni, and industry to explore the future of sustainable maritime engineering.

The program featured industry perspectives from NA&ME alumni Eileen Tausch (Fleetzero) on the future of shipping and Drew Orvieto (Siemens Energy) on practical ferry electrification, alongside graduate research and NA 475 capstone design projects.

Graduate presentations covered topics such as port decarbonization and maritime strategy, while NA 475 teams developed full-scale vessel designs to address real-world challenges, from Arctic research operations to plastic pollution in rivers.

Special thanks to NA&ME alum Drew Orvieto for his support in establishing the symposium, and congratulations to the students and award recipients for their outstanding presentations! ⚓🌊

🚢♻️ RSVP for the NA&ME Sustainability Symposium on April 15!

Join us for an afternoon of industry insights, student presentations, and discussions on the future of sustainable maritime engineering. The program will highlight a range of topics shaping the maritime sector, including shipping, electrification, sustainability, and vessel design.

Please RSVP here by April 8: https://myumi.ch/R3GM8

We hope to see you there! ⚓️🌊

Congratulations to NA&ME Professor Jing Sun on being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Professor Sun was honored for her distinguished contributions to adaptive, nonlinear, and hybrid control with applications to automotive and marine engineering. She joins the 2025 class of AAAS Fellows, recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.

Read more in the College of Engineering article below.

To help expand the workforce needed to support shipbuilding in the United States, the University of Michigan has finalized a $5.3 million contract to launch an inaugural cohort of a new master’s fellowship program, the Building Resources for Innovation, Design and Graduate Education (BRIDGE) initiative.

Students will conduct research at U-M facilities and collaborate with the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock and Philadelphia Divisions, two of the Navy’s major engineering centers. They will also have opportunities to learn shipbuilding and design through extended visits at major international and domestic shipyards—including facilities in South Korea.

“Our students will become the future civilian leaders of the Navy design and construction community. We want to facilitate these international and domestic connections so that our students can learn precisely what it means to be a world-class shipyard,” said Jonathan Page, a professor of practice of naval architecture and marine engineering and the director of BRIDGE.

Read more ⬇️

️⚓️🌊 US naval engineering workforce to be strengthened by BRIDGE program️ ⚓️

️BRIDGE is a new master’s fellowship program helping prepare the next generation of naval engineers and strengthen America’s maritime capabilities. A new Michigan Engineering article highlights the program and features Professor Jonathan Page, director of BRIDGE, discussing how the fellowship prepares students to engage with design and engineering challenges relevant to the U.S. Navy. Learn more about the BRIDGE program in the full College of Engineering article. ⚓️🚢