General News
4 November, 2026
‘Dream’ run for scholar
UNIVERSITY student Ethan White has wrapped up a half-year internship with luxury superyacht builder Lürssen, describing it as “six months that have honestly been the biggest experience of my life so far”.
The 20-year-old was the first Australian to be accepted for the Lürssen Foundation scholarship program earlier this year.
The scholarship ran from April to October 2026 and included:
Scholarship ceremony and program launch in Rijeka, Croatia
Internship at the Lürssen Design Center Kvarner (April-June)
Shipyard visits in Germany (June)
Summer school at the University of Connecticut, USA (July-August)
Ongoing research and development work, concluding with a final presentation in Germany (October).
“In July I headed to the United States for a summer research residency at the University of Connecticut,” he said.
“This was where the research really came together.
“We worked alongside other scholars and academics and developed the machine learning side of our project.
“The residency also included visits to MIT and Harvard, as well as a number of industry visits, giving us exposure to some of the world’s leading universities and the research and engineering being done across the US.
“Our project, titled ‘Machine-learning based hull-form optimisation for yachts’, looked at how artificial intelligence can be used to help design more efficient superyacht hulls.
“After a few weeks finishing the final report, we returned to Bremen, Germany, to present our findings to Lürssen.
“Standing in front of the people who build some of the largest and most complex yachts in the world and presenting our own research was a surreal way to finish the program.
“Along the way, I was also interviewed for a feature in FRIEDA Magazine about my experience in the program and my journey from Cairns to Lürssen.
“The issue was officially released at the Monaco Yacht Show, one of the biggest events on the global superyacht calendar, so it was a real honour to share that story with an international audience.
“When I applied two days before the deadline, I never imagined where it would lead.
“Over six months I’ve completed an internship in Croatia, toured three of Lürssen’s shipyards, been aboard two 150m superyachts under construction, met Peter Lürssen, studied in the US, visited MIT and Harvard, been featured in FRIEDA Magazine and delivered a research project to one of the world’s leading yacht builders.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the Lürssen family and the founders of the program for the opportunity and proud to be the first Australian to complete it.
“If there’s one message I’d like to share, especially with young people in Cairns interested in the marine industry, it’s that these pathways are real and they are achievable.
“Take the risk and put yourself forward.”
The former St Augustine College continued his travels throughout Asia before arriving home in Cairns this month.
“In the new year I’m hoping to gain more industry experience abroad before returning to university in July 2027 to finish my degree,” Mr White said.
He is studying a maritime engineering degree, specialising in naval architecture, at the Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania.
