Tufts University in Medford, Mass., has rolled out a new master’s degree in offshore wind engineering.
According to TuftsNow, the degree, offered through Tufts’ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, represents the country’s “first U.S. offshore wind energy graduate program dedicated to structural and geotechnical engineering.”
The program, beginning this fall, will include local trips to the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s Wind Technology Testing Center. Last fall, Massachusetts’ Baker-Polito administration and Vineyard Wind announced a lease agreement to use the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal as the primary staging and deployment location for Vineyard Wind’s offshore development.
“If wind power is to continue its growth as an energy source, we need not only research and development, but also programs that educate a generation of engineers who are devoted to sustainable development and energy independence,” comments Laurie Baise, professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, via TuftsNow. “This is a first step toward making climate and energy sustainability a priority.”
