Six individuals and members of six teams from the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Warfare Centers were recognized as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) for Research, Development and Acquisition (RDA) Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers for 2022 during a ceremony on June 16 at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock Division.
Mr. Tommy Ross, Performing the Duties of ASN RDA, opened the ceremony by calling the Dr. Etter Awards “the Oscars, Pulitzers and Nobels” of the science and technology (S&T) community, and the 69 winners for 2022 “the best of the best.”
“Today’s Navy and Marine Corps cannot win tomorrow’s conflicts without constant adaption,” he said. “Finding, researching and developing promising technologies is absolutely critical to our future success.”
Dr. Etter, the former ASN RDA for whom the annual awards are named, congratulated the winners in a recorded message, and encouraged all in attendance to support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs, and to act as role models for and mentor the future workforce.
“To continue to provide a technical edge to our warfighters, we must inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,” she said.
Mr. Ross and Mr. Frederick J. (Jay) Stefany, Principal Civilian Deputy to ASN RDA, presented the awards to this year’s winners, including:
Emergent Engineer Investigator:
- Jacob D. Mason, NSWC Carderock Division
- Brittany N. Preston-Baker, NSWC Carderock Division
Individual Engineer:
- Andrew T. Bouchard, NSWC Panama City Division
- Dr. David O. Hubble, NSWC Dahlgren Division
- Dr. Michael Visich, NUWC Newport Division
Individual Scientist:
- Dr. Lauren A. Freeman, Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Newport Division
Teams Awards:
- CVN 78 Full Ship Shock Trials Team, NSWC Carderock Division: Lana Rae Craig, Tommy E. Douglas, Roy C. Javier, Steven E. Rutgerson, Henry J. Venne
- Deamping System Design Team, NSWC Carderock Division: Albert S. Barsa, Dr. Timothy W. Bole, Christopher I. Conner, Rafael C. Hill, Richard M. Mack
- Cyber Red Team, NUWC Newport Division: Michael C. Beatty, Matthew D. Furtado, Benet V. George, Theresa M. Manning-Livolsi, Christopher J. Morcom, Pedro A. Agosto Vazquez II
- Sub Valve Regulated Lead Acid Battery Manufacturing Improvement Team, NSWC Crane Division: Nicholas J. Angell, Andrew J. Herold Jr., Michael K. Huffman, Josiah H. Ward, Barry D. Whaley
Teams Collaborating across the Naval R&D Establishment:
- Corrosion Failure Investigation Team, including: Son T. Nguyen, NSWC Port Hueneme Division, Tim J. Tenopir, NSWC Port Hueneme Division, Patricia L. Haggerty, NSWC Philadelphia Division, Bruce B. Leaman, NSWC Dahlgren Division
- Nickel Aluminum Bronze Alloying for Large Propulsor Castings, including: Meredith Wells, NSWC Carderock Division
“This is a highly competitive and very prestigious award,” NAVSEA Warfare Centers Commander Rear Adm. Kevin Byrne said in an all-hands message congratulating the winners. “These wins demonstrate the outstanding talent, professionalism, and scientific and engineering achievements of the Warfare Centers in support of the Navy and the nation.”