| Department Lead |
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Nick Michel-Hart
Principal Engineer |
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| Expertise |
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- Scientific and naval instrumentation
- Autonomous undersea vehicles
- Moorings, underwater structures and towers
- Harsh environment packaging (polar, shipboard, and airborne systems)
- Finite element analysis
- Acoustic transducers
- Corrosion and abrasion analysis and control
- Low-power, battery operated, embedded systems
- High-speed data acquisition systems and signal processings
- Custom analog and digital board design, PCB layout
- Complex system design, electro-mechanical systems
- Custom and OEM sensor integration
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- Embedded systems
- Remote/autonomous operation
- TCP/IP instrumentation
- Linux, Windows, and DOS systems
- C++, Visual Basic, Labview, Matlab, and web-based languages
- Deployment, operation, and recovery of equipment at sea and in the Arctic
- Logistics and operations support in the Arctic, at sea, and remote locations
- Diving — open water and under-ice (divers certified by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences and by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration for nitrox mixed gas diving)
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| Persistent Environmental Monitoring Near an Operational Wave Energy Converter |
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A New Research Vessel for the APL-UW Fleet |
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Riding Waves to Generate Electricity |
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The first demonstration of oceanographic sensors powered only by wave energy.
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The R/V Russell Davis Light entered service in summer 2018.
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| Projects |
All |
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Media Coverage |
All |
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Publications |
All |
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Predictable, Reliable Power from Tides
Chris Bassett
9 July 2025
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Connecting to the Ocean's Power: Marine Energy Research at APL-UW
Chris Bassett, Brian Polagye
5 July 2023
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Using a Wave Energy Converter for UUV Recharge
Curtis Rusch, Morteza Derakhti, Brian Polagye, Dana Manalang, Jim Thomson
11 April 2022
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The search for alien life: Inside University of Washington’s astrobiology program
KIRO 7 News
Brandon Thompson
19 February 2026
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Underwater cameras could help unlock America’s tidal energy industry
Inside Climate News
Johnny Sturgeon
14 January 2026
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Research buoy gets refresh on Bellingham Bay
Cascadia Daily News
Hailey Hoffman
20 August 2024
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The structure and lifecycle of stratified mixing by shear instabilities in continuously forced flows
Lefauve, A., C. Bassett, D.S. Plotnick, A.C. Lavery, and W.R. Geyer
10 July 2026
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Development and operation of a 100 W wave energy converter for persistent ocean observation
Rusch, C.J., E. Hammagren, J. Prudell, Z. Zhang, and J. Thomson
12 June 2026
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Basal unit radar characteristics at the southern flank of Dome A, East Antarctica
Yan, S., and 11 others including L. Lindzey
21 January 2026
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