Saving Lives & Your Cell Phone – Golden Shellback Coating John Konrad Total Views: 56 December 14, 2008 Last year Sid Martin, Director of Technology at Northeast Maritime Institute was faced with a dilemma. He had been hired to spearhead a project bringing the latest technology to the field of Maritime Security and test it in the field. Martin was the perfect candidate for this job. Prior to working at NMI he was a member of the project team responsible for the wheel bearings on the Mars Lander and in doing so became familiar with the obstacles faced in developing products for use in harsh environments. But the project was nearing completion and he needed to find new ways to use his experience at the institute. In the coming months Martin set his goal at saving lives, what he developed will accomplish more than that. GS- Apartment Rental 160 East 91st Street, NYC Martin’s background is not in Maritime Engineering, in fact, except for one vacation at sea he has never set foot on a large vessel underway. His specialty is Aerospace technology. Martin was on the team that designed and built some of the critical components aboard the Mars Rover and worked for years in the manufacturing of semiconductors. During this time he gained both experience coating objects at a molecular scale and an idea; use these principals to waterproof electronics. An idea alone is not enough to invent a ground breaking product; you need resources and a team that supports innovation. Martin found this combination at Northeast Maritime Institute and one year ago joined it’s team as Project Engineer and with the backing of NMI President Eric Dawicki he began work on techniques learned during time spent in the semiconductor industry applying coatings to surfaces at the molecular level. Up to this point marine electronics were separated from the corrosive and conductive properties of salt water with the use of protective shells. A waterproof radio for example, combines a protective shell with