Spring 2021
We certainly have lots of spring in our step as we kick off the season with a World Economic Forum video! This video highlights the biggest bottleneck to measuring, understanding, and protecting our oceans — power, which is exactly the problem we are solving at Seatrec. (And the video stars our VP of Engineering, Michael Zedelmair. We’re at 6,900 views and counting!)
It’s an incredible honor to be featured by this prominent international organization. A special thanks to Johan, Carina, and Alex at Waxman Strategies for all of their support in this effort.
💦Making a Media Splash!
Last quarter’s media momentum, which saw Seatrec showcased in Wired Magazine, continues into Q2 with other media mentions and stories, including a shout-out in Forbes’ article on DARPA’s energy-harvesting submarine. The U.S. Navy is actively pursuing energy-harvesting solutions for powering underwater vehicles, as these vehicles do not have access to either solar or wave power.
New Atlas featured the benefits of coupling Seatrec’s tech with underwater gliders. Gliders are essential for collecting oceanographic data, however, they require an onboard power source, both for buoyancy control mechanism and data-logging sensors. Batteries are generally used, but their limited power capacity constrains the length and utility of oceanic missions.
Seatrec’s mission also hit the presses on two other continents with articles in EMIRA (in Japan) and Reset (in Germany)!
Yi participated in two blue economy webinars, including the “U.S. Congressional Briefing on the Importance of U.S. Investment in Ocean Health” and the Marine Technology Society’s “Engaging with the Blue Economy Series on Mobile Power Generation.”
❤️ We Heart Vista!
What an incredible welcome to Vista, California! This North San Diego city rolled out the red carpet and instantly made us feel like an integral part of the community. We’re very excited to be part of North County’s emerging bluetech and cleantech industries.
🤝 Welcome, David Christian!
We have a new addition to the Seatrec Crew! Please join us in welcoming David Christian, our new Mechanical Engineer. David was previously at American Lithium Energy Corporation working on next-gen lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technologies for demanding military and commercial applications.
💡 Electrical Engineer Wanted!
If you’re an Electrical Engineer fascinated by ocean exploration and sustainability, My Octopus Teacher, and Jacques Cousteau, we have the job for you! Email your cover letter and resume today!
📚 What We’re Reading
If you bump into Yi or Marta, they’ll be carrying their favorite read of the season, “Wave and Beaches”, written by Willard Bascom and Kim McCoy.
The 1st edition of Waves and Beaches was written by Willard Bascom and published in 1964; the 2nd edition was released in 1979. When Willard was in his 80s, he met Kim McCoy, became his mentor, and asked Kim to consider writing the 3rd edition of this popular book for the layperson. It took Kim almost a decade to revise the original book and add the modern tools and knowledge. As we enter the Ocean Decade, this publication is particularly timely to further understand changing climate. Lovers of the ocean, surf, and oceanic adventures will find this book to be a key summer accessory. Beautiful, comprehensive, and as timeless as our oceans.
☀️ Summary
As the world starts to open up, summer is looking promising for our next deployment of a profiling float off the coast of Hawaii. We’re targeting July for the launch date, and we’ll be posting the coordinates and data in real-time on our website for customers, scientists, and curious ocean geeks. In the meantime, we’re hoping everyone in the blue economy can get back to the waters. Here’s to soaking up some Vitamin D, packing up your flip flops, and de-stressing while enjoying the wonder of the waves.
Yours from at least a fathom away,
Team Seatrec
