FSU PC PROFESSOR TRAYNHAM COAUTHORS TEXTBOOK ON MARINE ENGINEERING

FSU Panama City professor Yvonne Traynham, Ph.D., recently coauthored a new textbook about marine engineering. “An Introduction to Marine Materials and Structures,” published by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, was written for engineering students and practicing engineers.

“It’s meant to be very practical,” Traynham said. "It’s a senior or graduate level textbook that can be used as a reference when you’re first working in the industry.” 

Traynham’s coauthor, Paul H. Miller, is a professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut. The book evolved from a bulletin on maritime materials they previously published. It is described as a “first-of-its-kind approach” intended as text suitable for semester-long courses in materials science for engineers and marine/ship structural design, as well as a valuable reference for practicing engineers.

“It was a huge amount of research and was peer-reviewed by people in the industry as well as academia,” Traynham said. “We’ve been working on this for a number of years.” 

Traynham, who also holds licenses as a Professional Engineer, is a teaching professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at FSU Panama City. Originally from Pensacola, she joined FSU PC in 2019, bringing 20 years of previous experience in teaching engineering at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Prior to arriving in Panama City, Traynham was a professor of Engineering at the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY. She has also been an adjunct professor at Webb Institute and at Manhattan College in New York.

Traynham is a SNAME Fellow and was an original instructor for the Professional Engineering Review Course (PERC), developing the module for Shipbuilding: Materials and Corrosion. Prior to academia, she worked as a design and project engineer on the Gulf Coast. She earned her BS from the University of Florida, with subsequent graduate degrees from the University of New Orleans.

As described in promotional materials, Traynham and Miller’s text explores the relationship between materials and structural design in the marine industry, “starting in ancient times with hollowed out log canoes and continuing today with carbon fiber composite hydrofoils and sustainable materials.” Without a basic understanding of materials and fabrication, an engineer would be challenged to develop acceptable structural designs.

“Growing up on the Gulf Coast, and having worked in the maritime industry, this is something I’ve always had an interest in,” Traynham said. “Having students who will work in this industry, and some of our biggest local employers being the U.S. Navy, Eastern Shipbuilding and Oceaneering—that was another motivating factor.”