Floating university due into Dublin Bay

A floating university docks in Dublin tomorrow with 575 students from 20 different countries on board.

The MV Explorer is marking the 50th anniversary of the "Semester at Sea" programme sponsored by North America's University of Virginia.

The floating campus visited Galway some years ago, and has been in Ireland several times. This transatlantic voyage, which involves visits to Morocco and Ghana, Argentina and Brazil, will also take in Cuba for the first time, following approval by the US treasury department.

Former Nasa astronaut Kathryn Thornton, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Virginia, is academic dean on the ship, along with executive dean Nicholas Iammarino, professor and director of health sciences and kinesiology chair at Rice University.

Both are working with 40 faculty members from various universities, hired for each cruise.

Almost every US state plus Britain, the Bahamas, Canada, China, Croatia, Egypt and Germany are represented on campus at sea. Also on board are students from Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey and Venezuela.

The students gain credits towards their respective courses, and many are sponsored by universities or receive scholarships from the Semester at Sea programme.

"The idea is that, rather than spending time abroad in one country during their degree, they spend time in about a dozen different countries around the world," Luke Jones, chief of staff and vice-president for strategic initiatives with the Institute for Shipboard Education told The Irish Times.

“Our spring programme is around the world, while our autumn is transatlantic and our summer programme is based in Europe and North Africa.”

The initiative has recorded some 60,000 alumni since it set sail in 1963 on what was then called the University of the Seven Seas. This autumn voyage is visiting 17 ports in 13 countries. It will berth in Dublin until Monday when it leaves for Lisbon.

semesteratsea.org