UCS Academy Guest Lecture series - 26/06/2013 - 5.30-7.30pm UCS LOWESTOFT

We Are Not Meant to Go to Sea - Professor Bob Cripps. Professor Cripps will talk on how the influence of changing technology has transformed the approach to boat design over the years and how these developments affect the people operating the boats. People have been going out in boats since time immemorial. The sea is a place of work and leisure, but it can bring dangers of many differing kinds to the people who work and play with boats and some of these can be prevented. In this litigious world duty of care is paramount and the role of the naval architect is now much broader than it used to be, as it is no longer just a case of designing a boat. There is a need to consider the individuals in the boat particularly with the ever increasing desire to operate in higher sea states at higher speeds. The use of novel hull forms and different types of materials will be discussed along with the physiological and psychological impact on the individuals such as whole body vibration and human machine interface (ergonomics).

Profile: Professor Bob Cripps is a Director of Longitude Consulting Engineering providing consultancy to the shipping and offshore industries and was previously Director of an Engineering College for BAE Systems Surface Ships and Technical Director at VT Halmatic. He was Engineering Manager at RNLI for 18 years, responsible for the development of the latest Severn, Trent, Tamar and Atlantic 85 class lifeboats. He established the Advanced Technology Partnership between the RNLI and the University of Southampton. Professor Cripps is a Visiting Professor of Maritime Studies at UCS and at Bournemouth University and a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at University of Southampton. He is well known for his work in the design and development of small craft and the use of composite materials in marine applications. Please note that this session is delivered at the UCS Lowestoft campus.