Student of the week: Jordan Minot

High school junior Jordan Minot wanted to do a science or engineering project that would have an immediate impact in America’s naval industry.

“I thought it would be a good idea to do something I really loved to do and had a big interest in, and that was naval and marine engineering,” said Minot, who takes math and science classes at Central Virginia Governor’s School and humanities courses at E.C. Glass.

He designed a test to measure the effectiveness of a device that’s used to keep ships stable in the water, and he won the grand award in physical sciences at the Regional Science Fair in March. The prize was a trip to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Reno, Nev.

“I shadowed a guy in the eighth grade when we lived in Baltimore who really does that kind of work,” Minot said.

The engineer in Baltimore was Rick Harris, who “ended up helping me through the project,” Minot said.

The project involved building acrylic plastic versions of three kinds of paravanes, which are towed in the water behind ships to control their pitching and rolling in high waves.

Minot tested the versions successfully by towing them beside a motorboat on Smith Mountain Lake on Dec. 23, his birthday.

The temperature was 36 degrees, and when the boat got up to speed, the cold cut deep. “I remember it very well,” said Minot, whose family has always been linked closely to the U.S. Navy.

“I’ve been sailing and around boats since I was born,” he said.

There are just three basic kinds of paravanes, and Harris told Minot that little research had been done to evaluate their differences.

A paravane can be as simple as the little blade on the front of a fishing lure that causes it to dive down to where the fish are swimming. Larger paravanes also can be used as minesweeping devices in warfare to clear shipping lanes.

But the device’s greatest importance comes when paravanes are towed behind ships to control their pitching and rolling in rough seas. They are especially useful on commercial fishing vessels.

“I calculated their drag and lift coefficients,” producing numbers that can be “used in the future by somebody who wants to do any kind of project. They won’t have to build models and test them,” Minot said.

Minot said he doesn’t expect to make any money as a result of his findings. He gave the results of his tests to Harris as a gift, and he doesn’t expect to pursue the project any further during his senior year.

He plans to concentrate on schoolwork and college applications. He gave up playing lacrosse last year to concentrate on academics.

He’s applying to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and to Webb Institute, which offers one course of study on Long Island, N.Y.: a double major in naval architecture and marine engineering.

Minot said he also plans on applying to the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and a few other schools.

His goal: to be part of an America’s Cup team. “Ultimately, that’s kind of my dream, that I end up working in that kind of level of sailing.”