About the MATE Center
The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center is a national partnership of organizations working to improve marine technical education and in this way help to prepare America’s future workforce for ocean occupations. Headquartered at Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) in Monterey, California, the MATE Center has been funded as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center of Excellence since 1997.
The MATE Center also receives funding from NSFs Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program and the Reseach Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Additional support comes from industry sponsorships and SeaMATE Store sales.
Note: If you are interested in viewing reports and accessing data from MATE's ITEST program, please click here. You will be prompted to create a username and password to access this page.
The Importance of Marine Technology
Marine technology is the application of science and engineering knowledge, tools, and techniques to the understanding and use of the marine environment.
The ocean economy is large and diverse, accounting for twenty percent of our national economy and supporting one in six jobs in the country.
Marine technology plays a vital role in supporting the ocean economy, from national security to transportation and commerce, energy and exploration activities, telecommunications, recreation and tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, search and recovery, environmental assessment and regulation, and research. Although these economic sectors are diverse, the technology supporting them has many similarities. These similarities include the collection and use of remotely sensed data; the use of advanced computing systems, such as GIS, for organizing and managing data; and the use of electronics and microelectronics for power, controls, and miniaturization in a remote, harsh environment. The need for highly qualified technical professionals who can design, build, operate, and maintain this technology has never been greater. A concerted effort is required to ensure that our workforce is prepared for an economy currently and increasingly dependent on ocean activities and the technologies that make these activities feasible.
The MATE Center focuses its efforts in eight major areas:
- Supporting institutions interested in developing or improving technology-related education programs. [Read More]
- Assessing workforce needs and developing knowledge and skill guidelines for new and emerging ocean occupations.
- Developing curricula in marine technology, underwater robotics, marine geospatial technology, career awareness, and ocean observing systems.
- Offering professional development for high school, college, and university faculty that focus on a broad array of marine technologies, workplace skills, and pedagogical innovations.
- Conducting regional and international underwater robotics (ROVs) competitions to increase students’ learning experiences and build academic and employer partnerships.
- Improving student preparation for the workplace through at-sea and shore-based technical internships.
- Disseminating MATE products, including curricula, textbooks, occupational guidelines, competencies, and process guides (internship manuals, survey materials, etc.) both in traditional formats and electronically though the Center’s web site.
- Disseminating up-to-date, comprehensive workforce information via OceanCareers.com (www.oceancareers.com) created in partnership with the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE).
