Designs and Tests Underwater Robots
Tyler Helble, class of 2004 | Dual major: BS in Environmental Sciences and Electrical Engineering | Oceans Engineer, Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, San Diego, California | PhD candidate at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, LaJolla, California
"The Nicholas School professors have helped me out a ton, getting my job and getting into graduate school. It’s like a small family."
As an oceans engineer for the Department of Defense, Tyler Helble spent three years helping the U.S. Navy design and test unmanned underwater robotic vehicles to use for surveillance and to detect mines on the sea floor and ship hulls. His interest in underwater robots started as a Duke freshman in the engineering school, when he joined a team that competed against other universities to design robotic vehicles and run them through an underwater obstacle course.
"That sparked my interest in oceanography, and Nicholas School Professor Emily Klein helped me create a dual major, so I could continue working on underwater vehicles through engineering while studying oceanography and conservation through environmental sciences. I loved the combination of the theoretical in engineering and the practical, real-life applications of environmental sciences—and getting out of the laboratory and doing work in the field was a big plus."
Tyler, who also studied abroad in New Zealand, says his environmental sciences degree proved very helpful in his work with the Department of Defense.
"As part of our work, we deployed environmental sensors in the ocean to measure wave height, intensity, swells and other factors. We used that information to determine how well the underwater vehicles would run in different environments. The classes I took in hydrology and oceanography at Duke helped me become our group’s environmental sensor expert."
His dual majors—and the support of several Nicholas School professors—also were extremely valuable when he applied to the PhD program at the prestigious Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In September 2007, he started the program at Scripps, where he is studying long-range underwater gliders that use wings and ballasts to propel themselves, allowing them to travel further and longer than other vehicles that require more energy.
Tyler encourages other engineering students to consider a dual major with the Nicholas School.
"Many of the core courses overlap, so it’s easier than you might think. I loved the environmental classes and the professors, and I don’t think I would have had nearly the experience I had if I had just been in engineering."
