NSWCPD, Philadelphia, PA –
For Allison Hollish, winning the 2020 American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) Rosenblatt Young Naval Engineer Award came as a total surprise.
“I was honestly pretty shocked and surprised when I saw the announcement; I had no idea I was nominated!” said Hollish, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division’s (NSWCPD) Deputy Department Head of Cybersecure Hull Mechanical & Electrical (HM&E) Control Systems & Networks Department. “I truly felt honored and humbled to be recognized for such a prestigious award.”
The Rosenblatt Young Naval Engineer Award, part of ASNE’s Annual Awards Program announced in April 2021, is presented to a person who will not have reached the age of 35 years by December 31 of the year of nomination and who has demonstrated remarkable, early professional achievement in one or more areas of naval engineering as evidenced by one of the following:
● Superior innovation and insight, published paper(s), invention, design, creativity, patent simulation, process improvement, or similar accomplishments; or
● Outstanding technical leadership and obvious potential for continued distinction in naval engineering based on assigned responsibilities and recognized preeminent performance typically uncharacteristic of someone of his/her age.
“I am extremely honored to have even been nominated for the Rosenblatt Award, let alone be the 2020 recipient,” said Hollish. “The Rosenblatt Award is granted to a person who exhibits character and integrity in alignment with both the ethics and excellence of the Rosenblatt tradition and serves as a role model for other young engineers, and I am elated to be considered as such. I have been involved with ASNE since 2010 and have looked up to many past Rosenblatt Award winners as role models and mentors.”
Current NSWCPD Corporate Operations Department Head Theresa Steck, who served as a chemical engineer and senior leader with three decades of experience as an engineer (former department head at NSWC Carderock Division), was very pleased with Hollish’s achievement.
“I am proud of the indelible mark Allie continues to make in providing critical engineering expertise to the warfighter, networking with SEA HQ and the technical community, as well as reinvigorating ASNE’s Delaware Valley Chapter,” said Steck. “She has already brought her infectious passion to leadership roles at our command and I look forward to even more from this rising star.”
Hollish’s engineering journey began as a young student, where her interest in math and science led the New Jersey native to a magnet high school that focused on engineering and architecture. There, she experienced many Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) activities, such as robotics, bridge design competitions and gained a certification in CAD drafting.
With over 11 years at NSWCPD, Hollish has served in variety of capacities, gaining valuable insights along the way. The Villanova graduate has served in various capacities beginning with the Combat Support Systems branch, where she worked as a subject matter expert (SME) on the MK 41 Vertical Launching Systems. In 2018, she was selected as a first-line supervisor of about 30 HM&E Navigation and Networks engineers and professionals.
Two years later, Hollish led a command-wide effort to ensure all HM&E systems had proper accreditations through the Risk Management Framework process. In her current role as Deputy Department Head of Cybersecure HM&E Control Systems & Networks Department, she oversees the business office, including Contracts and Acquisitions operations and the IT/Cyber operations group.
Hollish enjoys helping others succeed as they progress through their careers, saying, “The most fulfilling part of my work is that I am able to help others become better engineers and develop professionally in the same way my supervisor helped me early in my career. It is extremely rewarding to be a part of our employees’ journey as they grow themselves, and find a position or task in our organization that makes them excited to come to work every day.”
She continued, “The best part of what we do at NSWCPD is having a greater purpose that drives us. Every job can be tied directly back to helping sailors, who are putting their lives at risk for our country, and ensuring they have all the tools they need to complete their mission successfully. Supporting and strengthening the people in our organization helps us become better as a Navy.”
Earlier this year, Hollish served on a career panel at the ASNE Intelligent Ships Symposium (ISS) STEM Day, where she shared insights from her engineering journey to high school students.
She advised them to, “be flexible and adaptable to what comes your way and ensure you’re developing your soft skills during your engineering journey – communication is key to success. Perseverance and grit is important as it’s very easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of school work there is and feel as though you’re not cut out for engineering. Having the proper self-awareness of what your strengths and weaknesses are can help you get through any challenge and be effective.”