Marine Technology Expert Nigel Calder to Discuss Hybrid Technology at IYRS Bristol Campus

Bristol (Rhode Island)  November 1, 2010 — When it comes to developing hybrid technology for boats, the marine business does not have the car industry’s big budgets and armies of innovators. It has Nigel Calder.

Calder, a marine technology expert and veteran cruiser, is an internationally known authority on hybrid technology for boats. He has played a central role in a $3 million European Union research & development effort on hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial and recreational vessels and is bringing his knowledge to the IYRS Bristol campus this November.

According to IYRS Marine Systems Instructor John Stier, there have been numerous attempts to adapt hybrid technology to propulsion in recreational boats over the past 15 years. But none of these had translated into technically or commercially successful products—until recently. This past year, several  new hybrid systems have finally broken through the barriers to make this technology available to boaters.

“Nigel is coming to speak to IYRS students and the public, to tell us what has changed with the adoption of these hybrid systems and the dramatic implications for the world of recreational boating,” said Stier. “This is a rare opportunity for individuals looking for the latest information on hybrid technology to hear from someone at the forefront of these developments … We are very proud to have him as a speaker here at IYRS.”

Calder’s lecture will take place at the IYRS Bristol campus, located at the Franklin Street Marine Corridor (253 Franklin Street), on Wednesday night, November 10, at 7 pm. The event is free to members of IYRS, and $10 to nonmembers.

Calder will spend the following day working with IYRS students and briefing them on this emerging technology. The November 10 lecture is a way to raise funds for experts such as Calder to come to IYRS and work alongside the school’s students.

IYRS offers technical training for the marine industry through three full-time programs—in Boatbuilding & Restoration, Marine Systems, and Composites Technology—and shorter-term Continuing Education programs. The school maintains two teaching facilities, in Newport and Bristol. Each locale is uniquely suited to the programs offered there. The Bristol facility, home to the Marine Systems and Composites Technology programs, is based at the Franklin Street Marine Corridor, a recently developed industrial/educational complex where students mix with marine-industry companies.  The waterfront campus in Newport, home to the Boatbuilding & Restoration program, includes two historic buildings from 1831 and 1903 and is the site of notable restorations, including the restoration of the rare 1885 schooner yacht Coronet.

For more information on IYRS and this upcoming event, please visit www.iyrs.org or call 401-848-5777, ext. 226.

An interview with Marine Systems Instructor John Stier about recent developments in hybrid technology and Nigel Calder’s upcoming talk.