Three SUNY Maritime students this fall gave a presentation about the importance of training ships in maritime education at The International Association of Maritime Universities General Assembly in Varna, Bulgaria.

This is the first time that Maritime College students have attended the IAMU General Assembly.

Students Brandon DeGroat, Michael Mullins and Sven Axelsson submitted a paper detailing the significance of the Training Ship Empire State VI at SUNY Maritime, as well as a brief history of the school’s development of mariners and engineers. The paper resulted in an invitation for them to present their research to their peers from maritime universities in other countries.

“We may be American students going to an American university, but the industry we’re entering after we graduate is international,” said Axelsson, a senior Marine Transportation major from New Jersey. “That’s why it was eye-opening to hear the thoughts and opinions about our line of work from people across different cultures and continents. I got to see the Maritime industry from a uniquely global perspective.”

After their presentation to the other maritime colleges in Bulgaria, the three from Maritime were selected as one of the top three student presentations at the conference. They repeated their presentation to the entire assembly, which included many top industry figures in education.

The IAMU is an organization comprised of the top maritime universities across five continents. Each year the association meets to discuss the significance and changes facing maritime education and training in the global industry.

“It was an experience which truly made a lifelong impact upon these students,” said Tamera Reul, professor of Marine Transportation, who accompanied the three to Bulgaria. “I hope that SUNY Maritime can continue to participate in the conference in the years to come.”