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Five senses – and five reasons
the Class of 2010 graduate Karen
Campbell loves the ship design and
building industry. Having recently
completed her master’s degree
in naval architecture and marine
engineering at UBC, Karen has already
had the opportunity to work at two
shipyards: first as a summer student
at Seaspan in Vancouver (building
research vessels for the Canadian
Coast Guard) and, more recently, at
Halifax’s Irving Shipbuilding for an eight-month co-op
placement (building ice-capable Arctic patrol vessels
for the Royal Canadian Navy). Karen is thrilled to have
recently returned to Irving to begin full-time work.
The first reason she loves what she does? Ships
are amazing! Karen explains that ships often have
to be completely self-sufficient so that they can
spend long periods of time at sea without access to
outside support systems. Each ship is designed to
meet a very specific mission profile. Fitting all of the
mission requirements into a finite space without the
components interfering with one another presents a
fascinating design challenge to an engineer like Karen.
Which brings us to reason number two – all of those
different requirements make for a very interdisciplin-
ary field. Engineers need to have sound knowledge
in many different scientific and mathematical fields,
including everything from structural analysis and flu-
id dynamics, to manufacturing methods and material
properties. The job isn’t all about math and science,
either. It demands a great deal of
creativity, both to come up with the
designs and then to troubleshoot
when the designs don’t quite work as
planned. If you can’t decide what dis-
cipline you like, consider being a naval
architect!
As a third reason, Karen has
really appreciated the opportunities
that naval architecture and marine
engineering provide for international
experiences. There are opportunities
to work with individuals from around the world (less
than half of Karen’s class at UBC is Canadian) and to
work abroad, as well. Karen’s career could take her
all over the world. In fact, she has already travelled in
style on an oil tanker for 13 days from Newfoundland
to New Jersey to learn more about how ships function
after leaving the shipyard.
Fourth, even though her colleagues come from all
over the world, Karen really appreciates the fact that
they all have at least one thing in common – a passion
for the marine industry! It’s one thing to love what you
do, but Karen says that it makes a huge difference
when you get to work with enthusiastic people who
love the work, too.
And the final reason Karen thinks that shipyards
are the place to be? The view, of course – both inside
and out. From the awe-inspiring sight of a ship coming
together on the shipyard floor, to the harbour views
outside, this is not your typical office job. Karen
wouldn’t have it any other way.
Navigating the waters of shipbuilding
KAREN CAMPBELL 2010
Profile by Kimberley Weaver 2010
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