PEP Talk: Mandles Prize for Hydrofoil Excellence – 2025
Overview:
The International Hydrofoil Society is pleased to announce that thanks to the
continued generosity of Mr. Martinn Mandles, a long-time member of IHS and his wife Connie, we will once again
sponsor The IHS Mandles Prize for Hydrofoil Excellence competition. The competition, now entering its 12th year,
includes up to $4,500 annually in IHS hydrofoil achievement prizes for students, with a $2,500 First Prize and
up to two $1,000 Honorable Mention awards. This is an outstanding opportunity for the next generation of
hydrofoil developers to be acknowledged for their efforts to advance the state of the art in hydrofoil and
hydrofoil-assisted craft engineering, design and construction. Rules for the competition can be downloaded from
the IHS website (www.foils.org).
You can preview the deck here: Mandles Hydrofoil Prize deck
Oct. 2024 (links to videos).
Principal Objectives of Mandles Prize:
- To promote hydrofoil engineering technology.
- To increase the participating students’ understanding of and competence in ship and craft
engineering and design.
- To stimulate interest in hydrofoils and hydrofoil-assisted ship and craft engineering, design and
construction as a career choice.
The 2025 Mandles Prize Announcement and Rules are at:
This competition is about marine vessels utilizing hydrofoils to produce substantial
lift relative to vessel displacement via dynamic forces and their subsystems and components that are specific to
hydrofoil craft. The webinar will be recorded and available for three weeks after the live presentation on
October 21. This webinar is worth no
PDH.
Date & Time: October 21th, 2024; 1300-1400 ET (Presentation with live Q&A
discussion)
Audience: All engineers, program managers, and students interested in
ethical engineering.
Virtual Course Format: This presentation and discussion will occur in
Microsoft Teams. If you do not have Teams, you will be able to view this event in your
browser.
Enrollment Fee: FREE!
Professional Development Hours: 0 Hours
Presenter's Biography
Mr. Mark Bebar
Vice-President, International Hydrofoil Society (IHS)
- B.S. , Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering – Webb Institute of Naval Architecture (1970)
- M.S., Ocean Engineering – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1973)
- U.S. Navy Department (1970 – 2003) – Naval Ship Engineering Center (NAVSEC) and Naval Sea Systems
Command (NAVSEA)
- Patrol Hydrofoil-Missile (PHM) Concept Studies/PHM-3 Series Follow-Ship Design Integration Manager
(1971 – 1972/1975 – 1978)
- Preliminary/Contract Design: AO-177 Fleet Oiler (1973 – 1974), ARS-50 Salvage Ship (1979-1981)
- High Speed Sealift Action Officer Group Coordinator (2010-2014)
- Force Architecture/Ship Concept Studies Support – Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC) and CNO
Strategic Studies Group (SSG): 1998 – 2002
- Chairman – NATO Naval Group 6 [NG/6] on Ship Design: 1996 – 2002
- Computer Sciences Corp (CSC) and CACI – Professional Adviser (2003 – present)
Factors for Judging
Technical Content (65 points)
- Background, sources, references
- Understanding of subject and material
- Breadth and depth of analysis
- Systems engineering approach
- Valid theories and reasoning
- Appropriate methods and their application
- Appropriate use of figures and tables
- Interpretation of results
- Handling of uncertainties, risks, negative factors
- Appropriateness and clarity of conclusions
Documentation (15 points)
- Organization
- Completeness and clarity of writing
- Well-executed figures and tables
Other Factors (20 points)
- Degree to which the paper is directly about hydrofoils*
- Magnitude, complexity and difficulty of the project
- Originality and innovativeness
- Value to other or future technologists and designers
*This competition is about marine vessels utilizing hydrofoils to produce substantial lift relative
to vessel displacement via dynamic forces and their subsystems and components that are specific to
hydrofoil craft.
Martinn Mandles' Biography
Martinn Mandles started as a hydroplane racer in high school and became both an airplane and hydrofoil
“pilot” before earning an engineering degree from Stanford University in 1964. As such, he was the first
co-pilot of Boeing’s Aqua-Jet hydrofoil research hydroplane, and on the first flight crew of the Boeing
built FRESH-1 high-speed research hydrofoil. Upon his return from Vietnam in 1967, Mr. Mandles became
the Navy’s first captain of Boeing’s first hydrofoil gunboat, PGH 2, USS Tucumcari. After completing
five years of military service in 1969, he commenced a 37-year career at ABM Industries (NYSE:ABM),
where he was Chairman of the Board from 1997-2006.
An accomplished aviator and avid adventurer, Martinn was the first non-NASA American pilot to graduate
from the Russian Cosmonaut Basic Training Program at Star City near Moscow, and has visited both the
North and South Poles, as well as the North Face Base Camp of Mt. Everest in Tibet and countless other
challenging destinations worldwide. Two of these adventures are illustrated here.
IHS member Martinn and his wife Connie reside in Los Angeles, where he now serves as an executor and
trustee of several major trusts.
Registration is closed, but you can use the information at the top of the page to join the webinar.
Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us at education@navalengineers.org