A Dartmouth native is among a team of students from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy who were invited to participate in phase 1 of the 2023 Collegiate Wind Competition, the university announced last week.

Managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office, the competition helps college students prepare for jobs in the wind and broader renewable energy workforce through real-world experience, according to the university.

The competition, which was started in 2014, invites college students to design and build a prototype wind turbine, develop a site plan and cost-of-energy analysis for a wind farm, and do outreach within the wind energy industry and their communities.

The Mass. Maritime Academy team includes students from the classes of 2023 through 2025 who were drawn from all majors. They will be led by Associate Professor Gail Stephens who is also the energy systems engineering program coordinator at the university.

“What an amazing opportunity for students to participate in a real-world design project which marries classroom studies with practical application,” said Stephens. “The Challenge allows students to meet with industry professionals, enhance both their soft and technical skills and absorb much more than in the typical lecture format. Success through multiple stages of failure is the ultimate key to a true learning experience.”

Dartmouth’s Adam Veloso, a senior studying Marine, Science, Safety, and Environmental Protection at Mass. Maritime, will be one of the students representing the school in the competition.

“The CWC program has bolstered my knowledge on the up and coming wind industry across world waters,” said Veloso. “It was great to observe the ingenuity from other schools as observers of the 2022 Challenge as it allowed our team to reflect on how we can produce a working turbine. Moving forward to next year we will have a full plate but what we can achieve will represent the passion we have for the competition and for the advancements in the industry.”

This year’s competition will focus on projects related to offshore wind energy.

Mass. Maritime’s team is one of 30 that will participate in phase 1 of the competition, which will involve developing preliminary designs.

Twelve teams will be selected from the initial pool to advance to phase 2 where they will build and test their designs. Teams that advance to phase 2 will be invited to present their work at the American Clean Power Association’s CLEANPOWER Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana in May 2023, according to the university.

“The Academy is thrilled to compete in the 2023 Collegiate Wind Competition,” said Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “The Challenge presents an outstanding forum for students to showcase their design and technical skills in a collaborative hands-on nature.”