Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division –
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) hosted a group of local high school STEM students during the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) Virtual Intelligent Ships Symposium (ISS) STEM Day on April 27, 2021.
According to the organization’s website, the ISS “brings the professional naval engineering community together to present the latest technological advancements from keynote speakers, technical presentations and expert panels comprised of subject matter experts and leaders from academia, industry, and government …The emphasis of this year's symposium was recent advances in Intelligent Systems and the challenges that lie ahead for the next generation of Intelligent ships.”
After a welcome by LeTeisha A. Neufville-Wright from NSWCPD’s Logistics Integration and Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Certifications Branch, Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, Chief of Naval Research, addressed the group in a video detailing the importance of STEM in today’s Navy.
Sean Brennan, NSWCPD’s Director of Research, Development, Test and Engineering (RDT&E), moderated a career panel consisting of Fred Williams (Logistics Product Readiness Data Manager), Matthew Iannone (Deputy Department Head of Corporate Operations), Allison Hollish (Department Head of Cybersecure HM&E Control Systems & Networks Department) and Chelsea Kpodi (Littoral Combat Ship Machinery Control Systems Lead Systems Engineer).
The panelists shared their insights about valuable academic experiences that drove them to STEM classes, the importance of STEM in their engineering careers and their current daily responsibilities.
Iannone said, “Take as much out of the different courses as you can get. You don’t know where you’re going to end up in the work world. You’d be surprised what you end up gravitating towards.”
“When you’re going through your school, take all of the experience you can so you can really learn what you like or dislike. This will help you in your education and your career,” added Hollish.
Brennan also mentioned that, “What I started out doing and what I do now are two different things. Every subject I have been exposed to, was built on the last one. Once you get to the hands-on portion, you’d be surprised how interesting each of the subject areas are.”
Additionally, the group shared advice about making the transition from high school to college and from college to the workforce.
“You’re going to learn to adapt to a different way of learning,” said Hollish. “In college, classes are flexible in how you get your work done. In the real world, it’s up to you to maintain your drive for success. Learn about your organization skills. Figure out, assess the workload and a study plan because there’s a lot of freedom. It’s easy to think that the college habits will be successful in the real world, but that’s not always the case.”
Kpodi made a point about working, saying, “At this point in your career, you want to do something that brings you joy. People can really see when you’re enjoying what you’re doing. You do a little bit extra in your work, and that can take you far in your career. You really want to shine in your job. Make sure you understand your job and that you can see yourself doing it for 20, 30 years.”
They also discussed undervalued skills in STEM education necessary for success including public speaking, proper interpersonal communications, time management and concise writing.
Following the career panel, students joined three breakout rooms that contained three engaging presentations of STEM applications.
In the Naval Robotics Presentation Room, students from the Widener University’s Robotics Club shared background about the club including origins, competitive robotics teams, current projects and competitions.
Dr. John Suarez from Widener University led the second engagement room where he dissected the inner circuitry of a cell phone charger. Using a virtual program called MultiSim, he explained the intricate path of how electricity moves from the power source to your cell phone via transformers, switches, diodes, capacitors and regulators.
In the third engagement room, Dr. Steve Mastro, NSWCPD Deputy Chief Technology Officer, and Tristan M. Wolfe, NSWCPD’s STEM Program Manager, as well as a mechanical and aerospace engineer, hosted an entertaining game of Brain Bowl Jeopardy. Students answered numerous trivia questions from categories such as math, numbers, science, space, engineering and animals.
Throughout all three breakout sessions, students asked intriguing questions that advanced their curiosities through a variety of subjects.
Neufville-Wright, NSWCPD’s ISS STEM Day Chair, played a key role in bringing the virtual event into existence, as well as ensuring that the students were interacting and receptive to each topic.
“The virtual nature and mobility of the STEM activities allowed technical difficulties to arise, and even though ASNE support staff was very responsive and online in each room if any issues arose, I wanted to be front and center,” said Neufville-Wright.
She added, “I enjoyed planning this year’s ISS STEM Day. The ISS committee was phenomenal and tremendously supportive. I would like to thank all the panel members, breakout room presenters, the STEM Day sub-committee and NSWCPD leadership for their support in planning this year’s ISS conference.”
Looking ahead, the next ASNE ISS conference is scheduled for 2023.