Coastal Compass September 2016

Coastal Compass Naval Surface Warfare Center panama City Division NO. 4 VOL. 9

SEPTEMBER 2016

Leading and Managing with Excellence

Technical Center of Excellence for Littoral Warfare & Coastal Defense

View from the Bridge

By Commanding Officer Capt. Phillip Dawson III

Good Day Shipmates, This month, I thought I would review the high points from the Department Equal Opportunity Climate Survey (DEOCS) Briefs most you just attended. First, thank you for attending and providing some great feedback and questions. Secondly, my apologies for cancelling the make-up sessions, but preparations for hurricane Hermine became the priority. As I mentioned during the Briefs, NSWC PCD is doing great things that are appreciated by the Warfighter, and that is a direct result of the hard work of you all do.

In return you all deserve the best possible work environment, free from both discrimination and harassment, with the tools you need to do the job. To attain and sustain such an environment, we need your continued feedback on what we are doing right, and what we can improve on. The DEOCS Survey is just one of the tools we use to solicit that feedback.

We want to understand and improve the Command’s climate and that starts with your perceptions. Please continue bringing issues to our attention, as well as the recommendations to address those issues.

We see the results of the survey as generally positive, while identifying areas to continues to improve. Only 36 percent took the survey, a decrease from last year of 9 percent. Although the overall statistics in-

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dicate most feel favorable concerning the command climate, the data indicates we do have a problem here at PCD that requires everyone’s attention.

We had 107 responses indicating some form of discrimination has occurred in the workplace! This is down from last year’s 124 responses, but it is no cause for celebration as it could be in part due to less participation. Significantly, 57 percent of these incidents were not reported compared to last year’s 67 percent; 57 percent of these incidents, vice last year’s 74 percent were not dealt with in any manner. Although these statistics are an improvement over last year’s results, we need to do better.

Thirdly, the DEOCS confirmed that we still have incidents of sexual harassment.

Of the 8 incidents reported in this survey (down from 12 last year), only 4 were reported. As always, this Command has a zero tolerance policy of sexual harassment and it will not be tolerated. Our job now is to ensure the number of incidents is driven to zero in order to ensure the workplace fosters a positive, supporting environment in which people feel they can trust their leadership, their peers, and the process and that they can have the courage to report any incidents immediately. Sexual harassment will not be tolerated at NSWC PCD. As Mr. Stewart and I shared during the Sexual Harassment training and stand down, every reported incident will be taken seriously and properly investigated.

Bottom Line: Any form of discrimination is unprofessional, but more importantly, it is unacceptable and it will not be tolerated at NSWC PCD. Our Command Core Values include Leadership, Teamwork, and Personal Accountability.

Discriminatory and harassing behaviors violate all of these tenets. We will strive to eliminate the behavior, and the individual(s) who are found to be discriminating will be held responsible for their actions. You all have a role in this also. As we shared during the Sexual Harassment training, if you see or hear something wrong, you need to do something — intervene, speak up, or tell someone who can. It is the right thing to do.

This year’s survey confirmed that we still need to focus on the three core areas that the Leadership Team committed to work on last year. They are: Communication, Acquisition, Information Assurance and Information Technology.

Leadership’s understanding of the cur-

rent communication problem is that “Communication does not flow freely from senior leadership to all levels of the organization.

NSWC PCD’s two-way communication needs to be more effective so that the entire workforce has the same information and data to make informed decisions on both professional and organizational decisions.”

Communication cannot be solved with one tool, so we offered a glimpse at all of the communication tools and products available at NSWC PCD. These include our Town Halls, Coastal Compass, iNAVSEA, NSERC and our Facebook page. Digital signage is up in several buildings and with more well-planned content to come. We would like your feedback on content and availability.

However, communication doesn’t end with new tools or gadgets. Nothing replaces a good old fashioned conversation, face to face. I have committed to get out to each department twice a quarter and have a “Brown Bag Lunch” and open discussion.

The Town Halls will be restructured and the workforce will determine the subject. CO/ TD suggestion boxes have been distributed to the main entry of buildings 110, 607, 581, 582 and 544. You can’t miss them, the Navy Blue and Gold! We encourage you to reach out to your leadership. This is a starting point and we feel that combined with the identified communication tools and tactics that our workforce will enjoy enhanced two-way communications. I want to thank those who have emailed us, or taken advantage of the open door policy to share your concerns.

Regarding the acquisition process, the Leadership Team understands the problem as “Contracts and procurement obstacles inhibit timely execution of our tasking.

We must streamline the processes and apply judicious decision-making to balance compliance with getting the job done.”

We are proud that NSWC PCD’s contract award time for SEAPORT contracts is still the fastest, but we will continue to make it better. Contracts Department Head Mary Langfeldt and her team are committed to improved customer service, contract award processes and communications. That’s why they host monthly execution reviews with each department. We have more Engineering Liaison Office (ELO) interactions, and monthly acquisition strategy reviews. The

See VFTB, page 3

Coastal Compass - September 2016

VFTB

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bottom line, folks, is that our Contracts Department is doing a solid job and they are working very hard to keep our command moving forward. Government Purchase Card lead times are currently averaging 11 days. I am making the lead time of necessary material “Commander’s Business” and will be tracking this closely. Please use our open door policy and let me know when your lead time exceeds 20 days. Additionally, we’ve stood up a Managing Administrative Compliance team headed by Kimberly Ten Broeck, and they will be looking at streamlining the preparation effort for purchase requests.

Lastly, regarding the “IA/IT burdens” as they were labeled by some in this survey, we understood the problem to be “Procurement and sustainment of our Information Technology (software/ hardware) is cumbersome and slow with constantly changing requirements. We must develop ways to adhere to cyber security requirements while accounting for our needs to obtain leading edge tools in an efficient and timely manner.” I once again ask everyone to pause and appreciate the environment in which we work; last

Coastal Compass - September 2016

year it was the OPM data breach and this year it was the Democratic National Committee. The threat is real and constantly evolving, requiring continuous effort and changes to protect our intellectual property and sensitive personal information that is constantly changing. Improvements to the procurement process have been made, but please follow up on your IT procurement requests and let us know when they are ‘hung’ up for more than 22 days. We had a very successful Cyber Security Inspection, passing with a score of 79.7, and that is directly attributable to your attention to detail and cyber hygiene.

In the end, it only takes a few bad actors to spoil a good show.

If you see or hear something wrong, intervene, speak up, or tell someone who can. It is the right thing to do. To end on a positive note, the vast majority of you do the right things every day, all the time and I want you to know what a great job you’re doing. Mr. Stewart and I are very proud of each of you for all you do to support our sailors and marines.

Thank you and keep charging. ♦

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NSWC PCD Conducts Acceptance Tests Micro-UUV

By Katherine Mapp, NSWC PCD Office of Congressional and Public Affairs

PANAMA CITY, Florida - Department of the Navy scientists and engineers collaborated on Government Acceptance Testing (GAT) on a new type of unmanned, underwater vehicle at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) during the week of Aug. 22-26, 2016.

Technical personnel from NSWC PCD, Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Keyport and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SPAWAR) worked to determine if a particular type of Micro-UUV met the U.S. Navy’s requirements for specific mission areas to include mine countermeasures.

A bench test was conducted to ensure sensors and other aspects of the UUVs worked properly and during the latter part of the testing week, the engineers operated and tested the UUVs in the intended salt-water environment.

The goal of this collaboration was to better understand the product and how it applies to the science and technology work that is done at NSWC PCD, as well as other labs.

The manufacturer of the Riptide micro-UUV, Riptide Autonomous Solutions, calls the smaller UUV used in the GAT as a “highly flexible, open source autonomous undersea vehicle that provides users a state-of-the-art, low cost development solution ideally suited for developers of autonomy and behaviors, power systems, subsea sensors and new payloads.”

The micro-UUV’s length ranges from 25 to 72 inches, diameter is approximately 4.9 inches and can typically weigh anywhere from 12 to 36 pounds. In contrast to many of the commercial UUVs currently available, this is a vast reduction in size. Once testing is complete, the engineers will reconfigure the systems to meet their needs.

According to NSWC PCD UUV Operator of Unmanned Systems Technology, Ana Ziegler, the Micro-UUVs are smaller, lower cost and more accessible than other UUVs on the market.

Zeigler said the Micro-UUVs will be beneficial in conducting a wide variety of research and other missions that would be more difficult to do with larger UUVs. As of now, said Zeigler, these vehicles can’t do what the Fleet vehicles do, however, once testing is complete, the engineers can reconfigure the systems to meet their needs.

Zeigler said the Micro-UUVs cost less than 1/20th the price of the Fleet vehicles that are currently used.

“Until now, there were no low cost vehicles, at least not with enough capabilities to demonstrate what we can do,” she said. “That’s the beauty of these micro-vehicles.”

According to Zeigler, the Fleet vehicles and most UUVs currently used have a very low level of autonomy, in which every single move has to be programmed in advance. Now, said Ziegler, NSWC PCD scientists and engineers are experimenting with higher levels of autonomy and are moving toward communicating with the vehicle to teach it how to survey the area on its own without having to be programmed step-by-step in advance.

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PANAMA CITY, Florida — Engineers from Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD), Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Keyport, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SPAWAR) and a representative for Riptide Autonomous Solutions pose for a photo after conducting a Government Acceptance Test (GAT) on a Micro-UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) on August 25, 2016 at NSWC PCD. Pictured from left to right: Riptide Autonomous Solutions Principal Software Engineer Dr. Dani Goldberg, NSWC PCD Operator of Unmanned Systems Technology Ana Zeigler, NUWC Keyport UUV Project Lead Steven Figueroa and SPAWAR Engineer Anthony Jones. U.S. Navy photo by Katherine Mapp (Released) 160825-N-PD526-001.

Ziegler added that it is useful to have the manufacturer, who already holds a contract with the government for this work, be present when the equipment is being tested to ensure that everything is working properly before it is accepted.

NUWC Keyport UUV Project Lead, Steven Figueroa, said that a benefit to having the manufacturer present to address issues for the GAT, it gives them a chance to hear feedback on the product.

“Having this collaboration with the manufacturer can offer better ways to do something or if the vehicle were to fall short in some way,” said Figueroa. “If there is a better design, the manufacturer can take the lessons learned and make the next iteration better.”

Riptide Autonomous Solutions Principal Software Engineer, Dr. Dani Goldberg, said the feedback from the customers is essential.

“We work together to operate these vehicles so it is a learning experience on both sides,” said Goldberg. “They’re learning how to use the vehicle and how to service it. We are learning what works and what doesn’t work for our customers.”

Zeigler said the GAT was a success. She is looking forward to using the Micro-UUVs for autonomy research and believes discoveries will be made using the micro-UUVs that will be valuable to the Fleet.

Thus far, 18 Riptide Micro-UUVs have been manufactured.

Six of these Micro-UUVs were delivered to NSWC PCD and three of them to SPAWAR Pacific. All six of NSWC PCD’s Micro-UUVs were involved in the GAT, as well as one MicroUUV from SPAWAR. ♦

Coastal Compass - September 2016

Inside This Edition View from the Bridge...........................................2 Acceptance Tests of Micro-UUV........................ 4 AMCM Fleet Readiness Donates to CCP......... 5 Druggan Assumes Command of NSWC.......... 6 NEEC Seeks to Improve UUV Communication.7 Command Congratulates Employees............... 9 Christina Pate Recognized at Pentagon.........10 Everhart Earns 2016 NDIA Bronze Medal...... 11 Matos Receives STEM Hero Award................12

Paul Named EXMAN Code E Senior Systems Engineer PANAMA CITY, Florida — Congratulations to Kathleen Paul who has been selected as the Expeditionary Systems Division Expeditionary Maneuver (EXMAN) Senior Systems Engineer for the Expeditionary and Maritime Systems Department (Code E).

Paul, whose hometown is Panama City, Florida, brings a wealth of systems engineering experience to the job with over 16 years engineering experience. She has experience working as a Lead Systems engineer on both Mine Warfare and Expeditionary Warfare (EXMAN) systems, giving her the broad experience needed to support the EXMAN projects. Paul has a Bachelor of Science degree in Ocean Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Masters in Business Administration from Florida State University.

Her new role will be to assure all EXMAN products are of the highest technical quality. She will be the strong technical voice to our customers working with line management and the Technical Program Managers to assure their requirements are met. She will also be the lead for assuring our Systems Engineering disciplines are mentored to our young engineers and embedded in the organizational culture.

Updegrove Receives Collaboration Award.....14 Bravo Zulu to the PCD AMNS Team...............14 PCD Celebrates Women’s Equality Day.........17 New Automated Entry Control System............18 HR: Award Goes To...........................................19

AMCM Fleet Readiness Gives to Children’s Christmas Party Airborne Mine Countermeasures Fleet Readiness Branch Head Alan Hawkins hands over $660 to Children’s Christmas Party Schoolboard Liaison Carla Blake in front of the AMCM Fleet Readiness Building 323, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The funds were donated to benefit this year’s 61-year tradition Children’s Christmas Party (CCP), which first began in 1955. This year’s CCP will occur Dec.14, 2016 at the Naval Support Acitivity Panama City’s Long Glass Conference Room. U.S. Navy photo by Dan Broadstreet (Released) 160825-N-CM547-001

Coastal Compass - September 2016

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Druggan Assumes command of Naval Surface Warfare Center From NAVSEA Warfare Centers Public Affairs DALHGREN, Virginia — Rear Adm. Tom Druggan relieved Rear Adm. Lorin Selby as Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) during a change of command ceremony, Aug. 25, at Dalhgren, Virginia.

Druggan, a surface warfare officer and a native of Lexington, Kentucky, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1989. He also holds a Master of Science in National Resource Management from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School (formerly Industrial College of the Armed Forces) and a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School.

“It is an honor and a personal privilege to serve as the 12th commander, NSWC,” said Druggan. “The important work at NSWC is more critical and more important now than ever to meet the advanced threats and challenges emerging today.”

At sea, Druggan served aboard a variety of surface ships, and commanded the AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) destroyer and USS O’Kane (DDG 77). Ashore, he served as the major program manager for AEGIS Combat Systems in the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS). He also served as the major program manager for In-Service AEGIS Fleet Readiness and previously as the principal assistant program manager for In-Service Aircraft Carrier Combat System Integration, directly supporting Program Executive Office for Aircraft Carriers.

Druggan’s Pentagon tours include special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations, special assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, a member of the 2001 Navy Quadrennial Defense Review staff, and as a founding member of the Navy Operations Group Deep Blue.

Vice Adm. Thomas Moore, the 44th commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), was the guest speaker and spoke about Selby’s contributions.

“Lorin, you have encouraged and inspired all hands - both military and civilian to excel and to dedicate themselves to do in-

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DAHLGREN, Va. (Aug. 25, 2016) - Rear Adm. Tom Druggan, right, Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center, salutes Vice Adm. Thomas Moore, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, during a change of command ceremony. Druggan relieved Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, center, as NSWC Commander at the first change of command ceremony held on the NSWC Dahlgren Division Potomac River Test Range gunline. U.S. Navy photo by Ryan DeShazo (Released) 160825-N-DE005-030

credible things,” said Moore. “We’ve got the most advanced ships, platforms and weapons systems in the world. NSWC cohesively and seamlessly operates a full spectrum of research, development, testing, evaluation, engineering and fleet support so that our great Navy can fulfill its mission.”

Selby served as commander of NSWC since October 2014. He assumed additional duties as the chief engineer and deputy commander for Ship Design, Integration and Naval Engineering in June 2016.

“The men and women of the Warfare Centers have already written more than a century of history in Naval warfare with names like Commodore Crane, Ensign Dashiell, Rear Adm. Dahlgren, Rear Adm. Taylor and Rear Adm. Melville,” said Selby. “Looking toward the future, our men and women continue to make naval history in so many facets that are absolutely critical to American military strength - weapons, propulsion, ship design, and energetics. Innovation and high velocity learning has been in our DNA for decades!”

The NAVSEA Warfare Centers are comprised of Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), and represent approximately 30 percent of the Navy’s engineering and scientific expertise. NSWC is comprised of eight echelon-four Divisions: Carderock, Corona, Crane, Dahlgren, Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology, Panama City, Philadelphia, Port Hueneme, as well as one echelon-five command, Combat Direction Systems Activity (part of Dahlgren).

NUWC is comprised of two echelon-four Divisions: Newport and Keyport, as well as one echelon-five command, Naval Sea Logistics Center (part of Keyport).

With more than 100 years of history, the NAVSEA Warfare Centers provide “full spectrum” technical advice and solutions to our partners in support of naval platforms and systems. ♦

Coastal Compass - September 2016

Panama City NEEC Team Seeks to Improve UUV Communications

PANAMA CITY, Florida — Georgia Institute of Technology undergraduate student Sarah Panitz, left, and graduate students Pierre Valdez, Raphael Gautier, Samuel Seifert, and Coline Ramee collaborate on an unmanned underwater vehicle project as members of the Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC). The students conducted this work at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL) at Georgia Tech, Atlanta Georgia and with Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division scientists affiliated with the NEEC. Courtesy photo (Released).

By Jacqui Barker, NSWC PCD Office of Congressional and Public Affairs

PANAMA CITY, Florida – The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division and the Georgia Institute of Technology want to identify enhanced underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) communications that will improve overall operations and it is all part of the Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC).

NSWC PCD NEEC mentor for the college’s NEEC team is Dr. Matthew Bays and he says his team specifically seeks to understand how to overcome UUV hindrances due to environmental challenges. Should the U.S. Navy be able to predict UUV communication challenges affiliated with operating envi-

PANAMA CITY, Florida — A group of four Georgia Tech Aerospace System Design Lab (ASDL) students, led by research faculty Dr. Kelly Griendling, visited NSWC PCD Sept. 8, 2015 to kick-off this year’s Georgia Tech-NSWC PCD collaboration as part of the Naval Engineering Education Consortium.

Pictured standing from left to right are: Daniel Findeis, Lauren Rothmann, Sam Seifert, Dr. Kelly Griendling, and Pierre Valdez. The program provides funding and Navy mentorship for universities in order to solve navy-related research problems and get students interested in Navy-related technical careers.U.S. Navy photo by Jeff Prater (Released) 20150908-N-CD100-002

Coastal Compass - September 2016

ronments, UUV mission objectives will be ensured each time.

“The goal of this proposed effort is to help mitigate this operational challenge by developing path-planning algorithms that use information about the weather, geography, and communications technology aboard unmanned vehicles to perform path planning that increases confidence in having successful communications channels while still meeting key mission objectives,” wrote the NSWC PCD NEEC Team in a paper titled “Design and Implementation of Communications-Constrained Path Planning Algorithm for Unmanned Vehicles Operating in Littoral Environments.”

The research also offers future engineers the opportunity to prepare for work with the U.S. Navy beyond graduation.

“Over the past three years, we’ve had at least six students intern over the summer through the Navy Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP). The NEEC program has been tremendously successful on that front,” said Bays. Dr. Bays also indicated that on one of the projects on which the interns worked was for developing a fully autonomous unmanned surface vessel from a Wave Adaptive Modular Vehicle (WAM-V) platform for use in NSWC PCD autonomy experiments. The skills the students learned would be directly applicable for their participation in the RobotX competition, a Navy-sponsored international competition where students build autonomous WAM-Vs at their universities and competitively have the vessels perform a variety of tasks. “In another internship project, a student developed an algorithm to optimize UUV paths while performing survey missions that also take communications into account.

Upon clearing it for release, we let the student take the work back to Georgia Tech, where it’s now a core part of his PhD dissertation.” Multiple academic papers have been co-authored by NSWC PCD personnel and NEEC participants from combined work at internships and Georgia Tech.

As unmanned systems, both for the military and private sec-

See NEEC, page 8

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NEEC

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tor, continue to be mainstreamed into daily use, communication among autonomous systems cannot be overlooked if operators are to embrace the full potential of the vehicles.

“Over the past three years, Georgia Tech’s ASDL has partnered with the U.S. Navy to develop the Adaptive Communications Framework for Unmanned Vehicles (ACF-UV) to account for the effects of weather, geography, and bathymetry on the ability of aerial, surface, and subsurface assets to maintain communication networks during the mission planning phase,” said Georgia Tech and NEEC Team Principal Investigator Dr. Kelly Griendling.

“From my perspective, the NEEC program has been an ideal partnership between academia and government, and the students get the benefit of doing research that can really make a difference. Working with Dr. Bays and our other Navy partners has been invaluable, because it really helps us an academic unit to gain a much deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the Navy, and helps us focus our research on solving the problems that matter,” said Griendling. “We could not have asked for a better partnership than the one we have shared with Panama City over the past few years, and the program has had a tremendous impact on both the graduate students and undergraduate students who have participated.”

The Georgia Tech team delivered a proposal that, in NSWC PCD’s opinion, takes previous efforts to the next level.

“The existing modeling and simulation environment will be used to design, develop, and compare a set of communicationsconstrained path-finding algorithms to determine the characteristics and logic for an algorithm which successfully minimizes energy consumption while maximizing the probability of mission success in a challenging communications environment,” said Bays. “This knowledge will then be used to develop an actual path-planning algorithm for a pair of collaborating surface vehicles. The resulting algorithms will then be tested using a combination of a WAM-V (donated to ASDL by AUVSI) with other small autonomous surface vehicles that have been created through previous NEEC and other DoD-related research efforts.”

The team wrote a long-term objective, which is now to create a physical obstacle course with a series of tasks (“mission objectives”) the vehicles will have to complete through collaborative means, and then test the improvements to their ability to do so as a result of an added path-planning algorithm under constrained communications scenarios. This obstacle course will be designed to include tasks that rely on successful communications at multiple points. Currently, the team is considering using the obstacle course defined in the RobotX Maritime Challenge rules for testing.

If successful, it may be possible to then conduct additional testing in collaboration with NSWC Panama City.

“One of the great things about the way we’ve set up this year’s internship project and the NEEC project is we now have a common platform for testing,” said Bays. “Combining the common WAM-V platform with NSWC PCD’s Autonomy in a Box project, we’ll soon be able to test the work they’re doing as part of the NEEC project as easily as downloading and unzip-

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CANTON, Georgia - Standing from left to right at Sweetwater Creek State Park are: Sarah Panitz (undergraduate student), Coline Ramee (graduate student), Daniel Cooksey (Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL) Research Engineer), Pierre Valdez (graduate student), Patrick Meyer (graduate student), James Wittig (graduate student), Mark Snyder (graduate student), Daniel Findeis (undergraduate student), Dmitry Bershadsky (graduate student), Gavin Hudnall (undergraduate student), Samuel Dubin (graduate student), Raphael Gautier (Graduate Student), Charlotte Gill (graduate student), Samuel Seifert (graduate student), Becca Wittig (James Witting’s wife), Kaan Goksal (undergraduate student). Courtesy photo (Released)

ping a Zip file.”

The Autonomy in a Box project is a separate project at NSWC PCD also worked in part by a NEEC NREIP intern to make autonomy algorithms more easily shareable between organizations by using a common deployment package.

During the past three years of NEEC Maritime Communications for Unmanned Vehicles efforts, ASDL has collaborated with NSWC PCD and SSC Pacific to create the Adaptive Communications Framework for Unmanned Vehicles (ACF-UV), which is an environment geared toward enabling the consideration of communications in mission planning. ACF-UV brings together physics-based above and below water communications modeling, potential lost-link behavior algorithms, physicsbased vehicle motion models, physics-based sensor models, and process-driven mission models to create an integrated framework to understand the impact of communications on mission outcomes and determine the best combinations of strategies and technologies to enable success.

This effort has given the ASDL an in-depth understanding of maritime communications and the challenges faced by the Navy in the context of the overall integration of these vehicles into operations.

The purpose of the NEEC program is to attract and accelerate the development of the next generation of naval scientists and engineers through project-based education and hands-on experience. Project teams include students, university faculty and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) warfare center mentors. The NEEC program is managed by NAVSEA WC headquarters and executed by all 10 NAVSEA WC Divisions.

For more information, contact the NEEC Program Manager, Kirk Jenne, at (202) 781-5458. ♦

Coastal Compass - September 2016

Coastal Compass Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division Panama City, FL, 32407-7001 (850) 235-5990 DSN: 436-5990 Commanding Officer Capt. Phillip Dawson III, USN Executive Officer Cmdr. Paul G. Werring Jr. Division Technical Director Edwin Stewart (SES) Public Affairs Officer Jeffrey Prater Editor and Media Liaison Dan Broadstreet

Public Affairs Specialists Jacqui Barker and Katherine Mapp

Coastal Compass is published monthly by NSWC PCD and is an authorized medium for news of general interest about employees of NSWC PCD and their work.

Contents of Coastal Compass are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the Department of Defense or Department of the Navy.

Coastal Compass’ content is provided and prepared by the NSWC PCD Office of Corporate Communications.

For details about submissions, contact NSWC PCD Corporate Communication Editor Dan Broadstreet at (850) 235-5990.

To contact NSWC PCD’s Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline, call: (850) 234-4462

Coastal Compass - September 2016

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NSWC PCD Employee to Receive Recognition at Pentagon

By Katherine Mapp, NSWC PCD Office of Congressional and Public Affairs PANAMA CITY, Florida — A Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) employee will be recognized during a ceremony to be held Oct. 4, 2016 at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. NSWC PCD Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) Acquisition Lead for the Expeditionary Systems Division, Christina Pate, will receive the 2016 Secretary of Defense Award for Outstanding Civilian Employee with a Disability.

This annual event honors Department of Defense (DoD) components for outstanding achievements in the hiring, retention, and advancement of individuals with disabilities. It also highlights the accomplishments and abilities of employees and service members with disabilities who have made significant contributions and best demonstrate the core values of their respective organizations.

Pate was born with a rare genetic syndrome, Robinow Syndrome. Being physically dwarfed in stature, she is recognized in the U.S. medical community to be the oldest living known recessive case in the U.S. In addition, she was diagnosed with Stage 3B breast cancer in 2012 and currently is in remission and a survivor.

Despite the hurdles Pate has faced, she has not allowed any obstacles to stand in her way of achieving success. Pate is a widely respected and an exemplary employee who has sustained a career with the DoD for over 30 years.

Today, in addition to being the LCAC Acquisition Lead, Pate wears many hats at NSWC PCD. Pate is an Inventory Management Specialist, site subject matter expert for the General Services Administration (GSA) Global Supply Program and serves as NSWC PCD’s Equal Employment Opportunity Diversity Council (EEO DC) Chair.

As EEO DC Chair, Pate leads over 20 dedicated individuals representing each department and division command-wide as they strive to eliminate barriers generated through discrimination and bias.

As a member of NSWC PCD’s Children’s Christmas Party Committee (CCPC) for over 25 years, Pate’s passion for helping others has bloomed each holiday season as she transforms into “Santa’s Helper.” She and other CCPC members selflessly host over 100 disadvantaged children from local elementary schools to spread holiday cheer with stockings filled with essential goodies.

Pate said when she attended the Robinow Syndrome Foundation Convention in July 2016, it was the first year she really felt good about herself and who she was as a member.

“As the oldest living known recessive case of Robinow Syndrome, new families were genuinely glad and interested in talking to me,” said Pate. “I felt great about sharing my medical situation with them and to be able to tell them that their child will thrive just fine!”

Pate added that she is a firm believer in teamwork and she prides herself on being reliable and dependable.

“My parents always said ‘an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay,’” said Pate. “I believe they instilled in me my positive work ethic that has stayed with me throughout my career!”

Pate said that for someone to see the potential of the good in

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what you’re trying to do and recognizes that for the workforce to know is a very honorable feeling.

“Over the years, I have heard requests for nominations for a variety of DoD awards and always thought there was someone more qualified for these awards than myself. To be nominated this year was a surprise,” said Pate.

“I never wanted to receive an award ‘just because’ or ‘because it was my turn.’ The level at which this award is presented tells me that outside of this command, I am being recognized and appreciated by higher peers that have no clue who I am. It has shown me which people are sincere with their acknowledgement and congratulations of me receiving this award and that greatly humbles me.”

NSWC PCD Inventory Management Specialist, Lysa Oswalt, met Pate in 1999 when Pate taught her how to manage the “JustIn-Time” program, now known as GSA Global Supply Program.

According to Oswalt, the duo have remained friends since the moment they met.

“Pate’s magnetic personality, warm smile with a positive attitude in every-day life and with every task she is given and performs makes her shine above others,” said Oswalt. “Her interaction with co-workers definitely shows others that she is a “can-do” and a “goto” person that can be relied and trusted in to assist, teach and complete the job at hand.”

Oswalt said Pate runs the GSA Global Supply Program for NSWC PCD with an attention to detail and confidence that shows her exceptional work ethics.

“Pate is a team player and is supportive to the warfighter. She is always willing to help others and learn in order to ensure all acquisitions are ordered, shipped and received as expeditiously as possible,” said Oswalt. “She is instrumental to improve processes to better accomplish better business practices.”

Oswalt expressed that Pate’s vibrant zeal for life to serve others with love, support, encouragement and enthusiasm demonstrates that she is truly deserving of this prestigious award.

“I am truly honored and blessed to be her friend and co-worker.

I am so proud of her that she is a recipient,” said Oswalt. “She is an overcomer and proudly supports the mission here at NSWC PCD. (Christina) Pate is definitely worthy of this award.” ♦

Coastal Compass - September 2016

NDIA Undersea Warfare Division 2016 Bronze Selectee Letters

By Jacqui Barker, NSWC PCD

ons systems who has distinguished himself as the U.S. Navy’s research and development specialist, leading the transformation of traditional mining capabilities to PANAMA CITY, Florida – A Naval Surface Warfare better meet the warfighter’s demand for affordable, auCenter Panama Division (NSWC PCD) engineer has tonomous, undersea multi-mission payloads. been named a 2016 National Defense Industrial Asso“He has exhibited extraordinary initiative and perciation Undersea Warfare (USW) Bronze Medal recipiseverance along with exceptional innovative achieveent. ment in formulating concepts and proposals to inteEverhart, who is assigned to NSWC PCD’s Mine grate emerging MIW technologies,” wrote NSWC Warfare (MIW) Directorate for Advanced Mining, was PCD Technical Director Ed Stewart (SES) in the award selected to recognize his “personal dedication and connomination package. tributions in the area of USW” and in support of the Everhart said he was “pleasantly surprised, honored U.S. Navy’s USW mission spectrum. and grateful” when he learned he’d been selected for Dave Everhart The NDIA Bronze Medal, first awarded in 1990, is an this prestigious award. He added his passion for USW annual award presented to scientists and engineers from government mission support is working to deliver capabilities to Fleet users and and university laboratories that are dedicated to USW. Everhart will fill urgent needs. receive the award in a NDIA USW Division awards ceremony to be “Offensive MIW is rapidly transforming into capabilities that the held in Groton, Connecticut Sept. 20, 2016. fleet can more readily use to influence adversary actions. There are “Everhart’s influence within the USW community has been rec- unmanned autonomous effector capabilities that could be used to fill ognized and respected for the technological advancements and in- urgent needs,” he said. “My passion is to help get an initial capability novative practices he has introduced and underscore his exceptional into the Fleet’s hands by rapidly integrating advanced technologies achievements spanning a distinguished 35 year career,” cited NDIA in into fieldable prototypes. We can do this by getting motivated Fleet Everhart’s award citation. “He has distinguished himself as the U.S. and technical folks together to experiment with viable options. With Navy’s research and development subject matter expert while leading advancements in unmanned systems and assured undersea communithe transformation from traditional mining capabilities to the devel- cations, distributed undersea systems (sensors and effectors) are key opment of new minefield concepts to support precision mining and opportunities for asymmetric maritime operations and expeditionary smart networked mining capabilities.” warfare. We can leverage the Naval Research and Development EsMore specifically, Everhart was nominated to showcase him as a tablishment to learn fast and accelerate the pace. This is exciting!” ♦ nationally recognized expert in naval sea mines and undersea weapOffice of Congressional and Public Affairs

Everhart’s History with Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division • 1992 – 1995: Mr. Everhart accepted two one-year assignments at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Code 321as the Mine Warfare (MIW) Technology Program Manager to oversee the development of mining and mine countermeasure technologies.

• 1996: Everhart relocated to NSWC Panama City, Florida to serve as the Head, Advanced Mining Concepts (Code R05).

• 1999: Everhart was promoted to Senior MIW Technology Manager at NSWC PCD. • 2001-2003: Everhart is dedicated to the transformation of mines into armed unmanned distributed networked systems where he served as the Head, Future Shallow Water Systems. He served on the Naval Warfare System Forum cross-lab team leading the way in reinstituting the Warfare Center’s Independent Applied Research program. He was also promoted to Head Mine Systems Division responsible for the execution of the Navy’s mine improvement programs, including the Quickstrike Mod 3 mines, while serving as NSWC PCD’s agent for mining capabilities via direct support to the MIW Technical Warrant Holder.

• 2005-2010: Everhart serves as the Mine Systems Customer Advocate and managed the technical capabilities for mine systems, collaborating efforts between Fleet, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), Program Executive Office (PEO), and the Warfare Centers.

• 2010 to the present: Everhart serves as Technical Program Manager for Mine and Littoral Warfare Advanced Concepts, transitioning MIW technologies into existing and new capabilities. He initiated the trans-

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formation of mining concepts and helped establish renewed interest in naval sea mine development as an asymmetric capability to help maintain U.S. Navy maritime superiority.

2012 – 2013: Everhart authored three Technology Transitions Agreements signed by OPNAV N952, PMS495 and PMS406, and co-authored an article, “Asymmetric and Affordable,” published in the June 2012 U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings magazine. Displaying his innovative spirit and exceptional initiative, Mr. Everhart invented the Clandestine Delivered Mine (CDM) concept by repurposing available Submarine-Launched Mobile Mine/Submarine-Laid Mobile Mine/Sea-Launched Mobile Mine (SLMM) warheads. He also has led several cross-organizational workshops and was a guest lecturer at several military studies and deep dives and participated as the Navy’s MIW expert in several DoD war games.

2013: Everhart led the development of new minefield theory to support precision mining and smart networked mining concepts.

2014: He worked on initiatives to rapidly prototype, test, and evaluate near-term solutions including QuickStrike-Joint Direct Attack Munition, CDM and various smart mining concepts.

2014: Everhart received a NSWC PCD Commanding Officer/Technical Director (CO/TD) Outstanding Innovation Award for formulating concepts and proposals to integrate emerging mine warfare technologies.

2014: Dave Everhart received a NSWC PCD CO/TD annual award for Superior Management.

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PCD Engineer Selected to Receive STEM Hero Award

By NSWC PCD Office of Congressional and Public Affairs

PANAMA CITY, Florida — The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) Mechanical Engineer, Sheyla Matos, was selected by Great Minds in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (GMiS/STEM) as a recipient for their 2016 STEM Hero Award.

According to the GMiS website, this award recognizes the achievements of America’s top engineers and scientists within the Hispanic community during the annual Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC). The website states that the HENAAC award winners are proof that the Hispanic community is capable of stepping up to the leadership roles that the new demographics position demands.

During her short tenure as a System Safety Engineer (SSE) at NSWC PCD, Matos was responsible for identifying system safety hazards and ensuring hazard mitigation plans are in place to minimize and/or eliminate these hazards. After arriving at NSWC PCD, Matos quickly met her certification requirements and was appointed Principal for Safety for two acquisition programs. NSWC PCD serves as the engineering agent for those programs and is responsible for providing these safe systems to the U.S. Navy warfighters.

NSWC PCD Off-Board Systems Development Branch Head Leslie Lugo, who nominated Matos for this award, said Matos is motivated, committed, confident and has a desire to succeed.

Lugo said Matos demonstrates commitment to self-improvement, motivation to expand her knowledge of the SSE field and determined to develop new, proven leadership skills to allow her to excel in the performance of her duties.

“In the relatively short time I have worked with Matos, she has demonstrated an unquestionable work ethic and exhibited leadership qualities that separate her from other engineers in her field which are indicators of a bright future as an engineer,” said Lugo. “Matos possesses natural leadership traits that establish her a promising candidate for growth within the organization and an agent of change within her sphere of influence. Matos possesses a genuine interest in the improvement of the SSE group as a whole.”

In her community, Matos welcomes many newly hired NSWC PCD Hispanic employees and their families to her home providing a

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feeling of ‘home’ with authentic, ethnic food and comfortable conversation. Although she is fairly new to the area, Matos goes above and beyond to ensure newly hired Hispanic co-workers and their families feel welcomed. Receiving this award gives Matos immense gratification.

“This award comes at a time in which it reiterates that the work we as a warfare center do for our Fleet is not gone without notices. It proves that all of the hard work and dedication invested for the betterment of those around us pays off,” said Matos. “To be recognized by HENAAC as one of the 2016 STEM Heroes is a wonderful feeling. I am humbled and honored to be representing NSWC PCD and Naval Sea Systems Command at this event.”

Matos dedicates this award to her main inspiration in life – her family.

“I dedicate this award to my parents for their unconditional support and equally to my children, who keep the light in my life,” said Matos.

“They push me to be better for them each and every day.”

Matos offers words of encouragement to her colleagues who want to achieve success in their careers.

“I encourage my fellow co-workers to seek a mentor and determine what drives their passion and ignites creativity in their minds” said Matos. “NSWC PCD has so many positive opportunities and experiences through challenging assignments to offer to the workforce. It is up to you to go after these opportunities.”

Matos will be recognized at the HENAAC Conference Oct. 5-9, 2016 in Anaheim, California. ♦

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Page 13 See SAILORS, page 14

Team Member Updegrove Earns WFC Collaboration Award

By Jacqui Barker, NSWC PCD Office of Congressional and Public Affairs

ing the warfare center’s capabilities and exploitation of materials technology advancements; and (c) expand collaborative initiatives with academia, industry, and other government agencies to accomplish developPANAMA CITY, Florida – Darryl Updegrove, a Naval ment and transition of technology in a rapid, cost-efSurface Warfare Center Panama City Division branch fective manner. head, was one of nine employees who earned a 2016 The scope of the NMCOI encompasses all NAVDonald F. McCormack Director’s Award for Warfare SEA warfare center activities associated with explorCenter Collaboration Team Award. ing, developing, and applying new and innovative maUpdegrove is a member of the Navy Materials terials technologies, as well as providing solutions to Community of Interest (NMCOI) team which earned current and emergent fleet issues. Each warfare center the 2016 award. contributes unique applications-oriented technical caThe purpose of the award is to recognize an inpabilities specific to its mission area. dividual or small group for significant contributions The following is a complete list of NMCOI memmade by establishing new relationships, fostering Darryl Updegrove bers who earned the 2016 Donald F. McCormack Direccommunication and promoting the value and benefits of collaborative working relationships at all levels in order to provide tor’s Award for Warfare Center Collaboration Team Award. high quality, effective products and services to our customers and • William D. Sudduth, David Rich (Carderock) the fleet through collaborative efforts across Warfare Centers Divi- • Aaron Weist, Rebecca Stevens, Dylan Switzer (Corona) • Steve Seghi, Yanusa Balogum (Crane) sions.

The NAVSEA Warfare Centers NMCOI is comprised of materi- • Susan Bartyczak, Karen Long (Dahlgren) als representatives and subject matter experts from each Warfare • Jason Jouet (Indian Head EOD Tech) Center division, such as Updegrove. The purpose of the NMCOI • Thomas Ramotowski (Newport) is to (a) create a mechanism for efficient and effective teaming be- • Kyle Morris (Keyport) tween warfare center division materials science and engineering • Darryl Updegrove (Panama City) initiatives; (b) provide a forum to share technical information and • Timothy Tenopir (Port Hueneme) ♦ leverage resources in a coordinated environment aimed at enhanc-

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A Purple Heart Presentation

PANAMA CITY - Pictured above/below is Private Joe E. Hutchison (U.S. Army Ret.), who was presented a Purple Heart medal Aug. 23, 2016. by Congresswoman Gwen Graham at the City of Parker Community Center. U.S. Navy Photo by Jeff Prater (Released) 160823-N-EP040-008

PANAMA CITY - NSA PC Commanding Officer Cmdr. Douglas congratulates Private Joe E. Hutchison (U.S. Army Ret.). U.S. Navy Photo by Jeff Prater (Released) 160823-N-EP040-002

PANAMA CITY - Placard commemorating presentation of Purple Heart to Private Joe E. Hutchison (U.S. Army Ret.). U.S. Navy Photo by Jeff Prater (Released) 160823-N-EP040-009

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NSWC PCD Commemorates Women’s Equality Day 2016

By Katherine Mapp, NSWC PCD Office of Congressional and Public Affairs

PANAMA CITY, Florida – The Federal Women’s Program at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) gave employees the opportunity to celebrate the 19th Amendment during a ceremony held Aug. 31, 2016.

NSWC PCD’s Federal Women’s Program Manager (FWPM) Candace Cobb, with assistance from the private, non-profit organization Federally Employed Women (FEW) Panama City Chapter #461, held the event specifically to celebrate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution which granted women the right to vote. The observance also focused attention on women’s continued efforts toward gaining full equality.

On Aug. 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. In 1971, at the request of Representative Bella Abzug, the U.S. Congress designated August 26th as Women’s Equality Day. Cobb said the event was hosted to give awareness to women’s equality and highlight events in history that provided a diverse perspective in order to raise cultural awareness within our workforce.

Guest speakers, Dr. Marie Knafelc, and Dr. Carrie Baker, gave inspirational and uplifting speeches in relation to the commemoration’s theme “Era of Change: Women’s Influence in Leadership.”

The guest speakers discussed the challenges they faced in becoming leaders in their own right and how they used their roles and responsibilities to encourage, uplift and inspire everyone around them and create positive change.

Knafelc, a retired U.S. Navy diving medical officer, shared her experiences and the gender prejudices she faced throughout her career. Knafelc said there were times in her career that she was doubted because of her gender, rather than her ability to succeed.

An example Kanfelc gave was she had the goal of obtaining her Submarine Warfare Insigia, known as dolphins, as a career path for potential promotion. Onboard the USS Casmir Pulaski, she had 30 days to learn the boat’s systems and needed to pass the commanding officer’s (CO) qualification board. The boat’s crew supported her efforts including documenting that she served onboard and

PANAMA CITY - NSWC PCD Commanding Officer Capt. Phillip Dawson III, USN presents keynote speakers Dr. Marie Knafelc (left) and Dr. Carrie Baker certificate of appreciation for speaking at this year’s Women’s Equality Day event. U.S. Navy Photo by Katherine Mapp (Released) 160831-N-PD526-011

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PANAMA CITY, Florida - Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division’s (NSWC PCD) Federal Women’s Program Manager (FWPM),Candace Cobb, poses for a photo with guest speakers, Dr. Carrie Baker and Dr. Marie Knafelc, at the 2016 ‘Women’s Equality Day’ event aboard Naval Support Activity Panama City (NSA PC) on Aug. 31, 2016. The guest speakers received certificates of appreciation for giving inspirational and uplifting speeches in relation to the commemoration’s theme “Era of Change: Women’s Influence in Leadership.” Pictured from left to right: Dr. Carrie Baker, FWPM Candace Cobb and Dr. Marie Knafelc. U.S. Navy photo by Katherine Mapp (Released) 160831-N-PD526-001

also assisted her in learning the boat’s systems.

The submarine’s commanding officer wrote a special fitness report and letter of recommendation. The submarine squadron declined awarding her the Submarine Warfare Insignia, but she persisted. She was awarded her dolphins based on her orders, special fitness report and a submarine CO letter of recommendation that she submitted to the Military Personnel (MILPERS) organization.

“As far as the MILPERS clerk was concerned, I fulfilled my requirements, “said Knafelc. “He told me there wasn’t anything in the regulations that said I had to be a male.”

Among other accomplishments, Knafelc was the first female submarine medical officer in 1982, the first female saturation diving medical officer in 1987 and was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2000.

Additionally, Baker, who earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration, explained how her experiences and journey toward leadership have had barriers of both race and gender.

Early in her education, Baker said the learning process was stopped and disrupted because of racial tension that occurred daily at school. Because of these frequent occurrences, her voice as a leader was developed early on in life.

“While a good part of my journey was uncomfortable, these experiences helped me develop skills that we as women need each and every day,” said Baker. “These skills make us stay the course, no matter how hard or difficult.”

Baker said these seemingly little traits moved and obligated her to dedicate herself to trying to make a difference in every day.

An example of this motivation included her earning five college

See EQUALITY, page 18

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PCD Prepares to Install New Automated Entry Control System

By Mike Gillian, Security Division NSWC Panama City Division

PANAMA CITY, Florida — NSWC PCD is in the process of upgrading access control to our occupied buildings and our restricted areas to an automated system using Common Access Card (CAC)enabled card readers. When complete, access for all Command buildings will be centrally-managed and the Command will have the capability to ‘lock-down’ our buildings during emergencies.

Two Access Control Enrollment workstations will be located in Building 110, room 3A22 and will be operated by support contractors within the Naval Messaging Center and overseen by NSWC PCD Security personnel. Enrollment forms for buildings and restricted areas are forthcoming.

These stations will be used to issue, delete and modify CAC

EQUALITY degrees, including earning her doctorate, despite being told constantly that she could not do it.

“The first class I took during my doctoral program, the professor said ‘I’m glad to see you, but black women very seldom finish doctorate degrees. They just don’t seem to have the stick-to-it that is needed,’” said Baker. “But, I begged to differ.”

Baker‘s successful career led her to becoming a director at Gulf Coast State College (GCSC), among being active in her community through multiple affiliations. After retirement this year, Baker was awarded the 2016 “Women of Distinction – Pearl Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Girl Scouts of America.

Despite the barriers they faced, both Knafelc and Baker overcame their obstacles with determination and perseverance. They concluded the ceremony by describing what it means to them to be an effective leader.

“Always be prepared for an opportunity. It is better to be prepared and not have an opportunity, than to have the opportunity and not be prepared,” said Baker. “As you go through life, always look, listen and work hard.”

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reader credentials for all spaces protected by the AECS. Restricted areas will require a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) to be entered along with the CAC. We’re looking at the possibility of bringing a mobile enrollment station (laptop) to buildings with large occupants (30 or more) to conduct the enrollment process vice everyone coming in person to building 110 to enroll their CAC. More to follow.

All hands will have 24/7 CAC access to the building they work in and 0600-1800 CAC access to the main entrance to all other NSWC PCD buildings, less Contract Division buildings (372, 373, 435).

Emergency Response Personnel (NCIS, NSA Police, Fire Dept, etc.) will still be able to access all buildings during an emergency lock-down. Those without CACs can be issued a proximity card for access. ♦

from page 17 Knafelc said it is important to remain true to yourself.

“I never thought of myself becoming a leader or being in a leadership position, I just happen to be myself. When people see that you are true to yourself, they’re willing to follow your lead,” said Knafelc. “When you have instincts, listen to those. Know who you are in your heart and be true to that.”

Cobb said this year’s program would not have been a success without those involved, including the distinguished community guests and the FEW Panama City Chapter #461.

“I would like to thank Dr. Knafelc and Dr. Baker for sharing their experiences and words of wisdom, Dr. Glenda Walters and Rebecca Saunders of the Bay County Historical Society for diligently researching and enthusiastically discussing the historical account of the first women voters in Bay County and Janet Kessler, executive director of the Bay Education Foundation, for her support,” said Cobb. “I would also like to recognize the FEW Panama City Chapter #461 for all their hard work and contributions to make the 2016 ‘Women’s Equality Day’ a success.” ♦

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Awards & Recognition Bulletin

September 2016

Congratulations to:

Ms. Christina Pate, 00M2, was selected as one of the recipients of the 2016 Department of Defense (DoD) Disability Award Ms. Sheyla Matos, Code 00Q, was selected for the 2016 HENAAC STEM HERO Award Ms. Kylie Puzzuto, Code 0121, Field Level Journal Voucher Team – Collaboration Dr. Kerry Commander & Mr. Phillip Bernstein, Code X, WC Unmanned Vehicles and Autonomous Systems (UVAS) Working Group – Collaboration Mr. Rex Lawrence & Mr. Edward Linsenmeyer, Codes X21 & X24, Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC) – Collaboration Mr. Darryl Updegrove, Code A, Donald F. McCormack Director’s Award for Warfare Center Collaboration (NSWC CD Division Annual Award)

1st & 2nd Quarter Fiscal Year 2016 NAVSEA Excellence Awards:

Mr. Edwin A. Stewart (SES) - Engineering and Technical Authority Training Team (SEA 05 (51)) Carmelita A. Martin, Dwayne C. Palmer, John E. Stitt, Justin D. Rice, Katherine A. Brackett, Kathleen B. Paul, Loc Pham, Morgan E. Mahoney, Nicole N. McWilliams, Robert P. Benjamin, Robyn M. Smith, Sarah L. Bride, Stephen A. Weathers, Thomas P. Fanning, Tien A. Tran, Timothy T. Carson, Carey D. Martin and William J. Peterson - PMS 495 Mine Countermeasures Mission Package TECHEVAL Support Team AD1 Hyun Park, Code CXA2, received a Flag (Admiral) Letter of Commendation for his exceptional performance during his tour at the FRC Jacksonville, FL. AZC (SEL) Andres Torres, Code CXA2, was selected for Chief Petty Officer (CPO).

For award information contact your Department Awards Coordinator or access the NSWC PCD Awards and Recognition portal..

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September LOS Awards 35 Years

Mattie Green

30 Years

Mark Bates Gary Bills Karen Borel John Brady Edmund Kloess Christina Langford Son Pham Stephen Solana

25 Years

Christopher Britt James Chalkley Mark Connolly Peter Halvorson

20 Years

Marlene Davidson

15 Years

Ivan Pereira James Shepherd

10 Years

Charlie Allen Vatana An Cameron Matthews Jeffrey Prater Ana Ziegler

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