Castine Current
THE LSS EDUCATES STUDENTS
FROM KING ABDULAzIz
UNIVERSITY (KAU)
By DoNALD MAIER, PH.D., ASSoCIATE DEAN
Theyear2015broughtanumberoffirsts latedlectures,the
at the Loeb-Sullivan School. In May, the
students were exposed
LSS graduated its first graduate student
to group dynamic func-
from the new online program. This was
tions using the Bridge
followed by record enrollment (ful capacity)
Simulator as wel as
in the on-campus graduate program in the
issues and implications
fal and ongoing strong enrollment in the
for tanker operations
undergraduate program. of course, this is al
in the Tanker Lab. The
Photo by College Relations.
connected with MMA being rated the Best
seminar concluded
Public College for Your Money in America
with presentations to LSS and KAU faculty
weekend in Boston. Stil , nothing could have
(Money magazine, August, 2015)! The LSS is
in which student groups were required to
prepared the students for the hands-on experi-
also proud to have another first: the 2015 Port
provide a strategy for the location, funding,
ence when they toured the Expera paper mil
& Logistics Seminar. This seminar was devel-
and development of a specific type of port
in old Town; L.L. Bean's order Fulfillment
oped for and presented to 20 undergraduate
terminal, including the connection to inland
Center in Freeport; the State of Maine (led by
students from the King Abdulaziz University
logistics operations. of course, since the
exceptional student tour guides, Chris Gilman
(KAU), in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
KAU administration insisted that the LSS
'16 and Chris Cloukey '15); Port of Portland;
The students were here for nearly a month,
faculty treat their students much like we do
Eimskip, and Sprague's operations in Portland.
arriving on Memorial Day and departing on
MMA students, when the KAU students did
They also witnessed the loading process of
June 20th. The seminar is part of the KAU
their final group presentations, they were
wind turbine equipment in Searsport, and the
student curriculum in their Port Maritime
put through the same vol y of questions that
boatyard operations at Front Street Shipyard
Management program in which they travel
MMA students normal y face.
in Belfast. We were also fortunate to have the
to a different country to tour and learn about
Their experience was not limited to just the
MMA Waterfront crew the Susan Clark for
port operations. This was the first time KAU
classroom. KAU students learned to kayak in
a trip to Searsport and Belfast--the best way
students visited the U.S.
Penobscot Bay, went whale watching and bik-
to see port operations! KAU students were
Besides a number of logistics and port-re-
ing in Bar Harbor, visited Bangor, and spent a
amazed by the scale and efficiency of many of
the operations from observing raw materials
to finished goods at Expera, comparing L.L.
Bean to Amazon, as wel as appreciating how
MMA students operate the training ship.
The seminar not only provided a great
learning experience for the KAU students,
but also for the MMA campus community.
It's been a number of years since such a large
contingent of international students graced
campus. Additional y, the experience helped
show the true expertise of the LSS faculty!
The success of the 2015 Port & Logistics
Seminar was due in great part to the flexibility
of Rachael Iannoli and the fabulous Sodexo
staff. None of this would have been remotely
successful without the hard work and efforts
of Patrick Haugen, Program Coordinator for
the Loeb-Sullivan School.
mainemaritime.edu
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