QinetiQ, in association with the Re-Engineering Australia Foundation Ltd (REA), is assisting Australian schools participating in the Future Submarine Technology Challenge (SUBS in Schools) providing its Paramarine Ship and Submersible Design Software to the participating students.

The challenge is being run in Australian schools to promote a holistic view of the role science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) plays in everyday life. The Challenge will give participating students hands-on experience with the core submarine design project elements and use of real technology such as QinetiQ's Paramarine Ship and Submersible Design Software.

They will establish a virtual company to complete the design project, assemble a team, manage the design and manufacturing process and present and market the final product.

The program is coordinated and directed by the Re-Engineering Australia Foundation which was founded in 1998 by engineer and businessman, Dr Michael Myers OAM, in response to the drastic shortage of skilled young people wanting to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics career paths.

"To maximise the value and quality of the challenge we wanted to include the software tools that are used extensively in the real world hence the selection of Paramarine. The software is currently being used by the Australian Department of Defence, and as such provides a direct link for the students to the work being carried out on the Australian Government's Future Submarine Project.

The Australian Department of Defence, through the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), is the major sponsor of the program and is working with industry to develop the next generation of engineers and designers," said Dr Michael Myers, OAM, Founder and Chairman, Re-Engineering Australia Foundation Ltd.

"We are very pleased to be involved with the Re-Engineering Australia Foundation and to support the Future Submarine Technology Challenge. Paramarine is a natural choice for this programme in that it exposes the participants in this challenge to the world's leading submarine design software," said Gareth Draper, Deputy Managing Director, QinetiQ Marine Design Software.

Paramarine is based on 20 years' experience in marine design and has a wealth of submarine specific analyses in one integrated product. The launch of the latest version of Paramarine (V8) has further extended the software's functionality with the introduction of probabilistic damage modelling and assessment, as well as enhancements to its emergency response, reporting, and stability assessment capabilities.