Massachusetts Maritime Academy Team Wins Electric Propulsion Competition
Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA), a public university with undergraduate degree programs focusing on science, engineering, technology, math, and business that blend academics and experiential learning announced that its Energy Systems Engineering (ESE) team won first place in the recent national 2026 Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) Workforce Development Competition. This marks the Academy’s first year participating in the event, one that draws more than 45 universities and 350 engineering students annually.
The three-member team of cadets Knox Ackerman (of Mendon, New York), Dhillan Maxwell-Columbia (of Chelsea, Massachusetts), and Michael Voci (of Kingston, Massachusetts) took the top award in the Unscrewed Electric Open Watercraft category, besting 15 other teams in the national competition.
Their vessel was fully designed, built, and tested as part of the team’s senior ESE Design Capstone course. In addition to winning first place, the team earned the top technical whitepaper score and fastest time around a 2-mile course.
The PEP competition is a national collegiate engineering challenge organized by the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) and sponsored by the Office of Naval Research. It focuses on electric-propulsion maritime technology, including both manned and unmanned electric boats.
The award-winning student team of Knox Ackernan, Dhillan Maxwell-Columbia, and Michael Voci will be featured during the ESE Design Project Showcase, to be conducted on June 9, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Crowley Energy Lab.
