02.14.2023 –
Some of the best and brightest Navy and Marine Corps teams were recognized during the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN) Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers Awards Ceremony at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division on June 16, 2022.
The award is named after former ASN Dr. Delores M. Etter, who delivered a recorded message congratulating the recipients and nominees. Etter also asked that all scientists and engineers continue supporting America’s fleet and warfighters, as well as keep motivating future generations of engineers and scientists interested in any Department of Navy (DON) positions.
Tommy Ross, performing the duties of ASN, personally recognized top scientists and engineers from across the entire DON, and highlighted some of their ground breaking accomplishments during the year.
“The recipients of the 2022 Dr. Delores M. Etter awards reflect the very best of the Department’s science and engineering workforce and they are examples for others to follow,” Ross said.
The Corrosion Failure Investigation Team, with members from the Philadelphia, Port Hueneme, and Dahlgren Warfare Center Divisions, was one of the many recipients of the ASN Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Award for 2022.
NSWCPD Chemist Patricia L. Haggerty was presented the 2022 Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers Award for her contributions to the team spearheaded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division Office of Technology (OOT).
Led by OOT Chief Scientist Tim Tenopir, in addition to Haggerty, team members also included In-Service Engineering Agent Lead and Laser Weapon System Demonstrator Engineer Son Nguyen, NSWC PHD; Senior Systems Engineer Bruce Leaman, NSWC Dahlgren Division; and Senior Corrosion Expert Edward Lemieux, Navy Research Laboratory Center for Navy Corrosion Science and Engineering.
According to the nomination package, Haggerty, along with her team, identified three root causes and recommended solutions for USS Portland’s Laser Weapon System Demonstrator corrosion issues.
Later, during calendar year 2021, the Corrosion Failure Investigation Team applied and tested a 12-fishbone set of hypotheses to analyze and correct a corroded laser weapon system, which had been rendered out of commission after a mere year in service. The question emerged in response to a leak aboard USS Portland (LPD 27), and the answer had greater implications for the use of the weapon system on the entire fleet.
A complex labyrinth of system design and maintenance flaws required the astute and relentless investigation of five subject matter experts, including scientists and engineers, to unlock root causes and provide a reliable solution. This led to the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid-state laser in the Gulf of Aden on Dec. 14, 2021, and significantly strengthened the lethality of the laser weapon system overall for future challenges.
All nominations for the award were reviewed and scored by an executive panel. Awardees were in the categories of Emergent Engineers, Emergent Scientists, Individual Engineers, Individual Scientists, Group of Scientists and/or Engineers from a single command, collaborating across the Naval Research and Development Establishment to include Department of Defense.
NSWCPD employs approximately 2,800 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. The NSWCPD team does the research and development, test and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for the non-nuclear machinery, ship machinery systems, and related equipment and material for Navy surface ships and submarines. NSWCPD is also the lead organization providing cybersecurity for all ship systems.