CRANE, Ind. –
Before starting her summer internship at a Navy lab, Riya Salian helped lead the Ohio State university Pistol Team to its sixth consecutive national championship.
Now, heading into her senior year studying Computer Science and Engineering, Salian has spent her 10-week internship at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) applying her skills to keep the Fleet safe.
"I didn't really know what to expect before coming here, but I'm really happy with everything I've worked on so far,” said Salian. “I've been given a lot of opportunities to dive into stuff that is actually really impactful to the Warfighter. I've been able to do a lot of hands-on work, which I think is really rewarding. I didn't expect to work on such important challenges... but my work is actually going to be implemented for the fleet."
Salian works alongside the electro-optics team at NSWC Crane, including the AN/SAY-3 Sensor System, commonly known as I-Stalker, which increases situational awareness on Navy ships. During her internship, she traveled to Norfolk, Virginia for an installation of the system onto multiple active naval vessels.
She said she has been able to apply her degree to her work at NSWC Crane, including coding and testing for the system.
"Overall, the I-Stalker system increases situational awareness,” she said. “It can identify and detect, and it can really help those on board to see things at very far distances, or to detect threats within their radius. I'm doing a lot of coding, but I'm also getting a lot of hands-on experience with mechanical systems, which is cool because that's pretty much perfectly using my degree on both ends."
She said she understands the direct connection between her work and the mission in keeping people safe.
"You can see the impact of what you're doing, and that the systems that you're working on are literally saving lives,” Salian said. “I think that's really important and a big part of why a lot of people are working here. This internship has been very rewarding and everyone at Crane has been very welcoming and is ready to have you dive into whatever they are working on."
Her focus on supporting the Navy stems from a lifelong interest in public service—including the impact she can make as a civilian engineer supporting the Warfighter. As a native of North Attleborough, Massachusetts, Salian started sport shooting at 8 years old and was recruited for Ohio State in 2023 after being on a successful state pistol team and winning Junior Olympics leading her to represent Team USA on the Junior National Team in Germany and Peru.
Salian heads back to campus in August and the pistol team where she was captain for two years in a row. Collegiate pistol shooting consists of three events: air, standard, and sport. In the air pistol event, competitors use a .177 caliber pellet pistol at a distance of 10 meters. For the sport and standard events, competitors shoot a .22-caliber pistol at 25 meters.
With her incoming senior year, Salian is excited to build on her momentum both in the classroom and on the range.
“I would like to continue to lead my team in a positive direction, as well as winning another national championship,” said Salian. “It would be cool to make it seven times in a row while I’m on the team and win another ring. Overall, it is encouraging to see the growth of shooting sports in college because new schools continue to join.”
About NSWC Crane | NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Strategic Missions, Electromagnetic Warfare, and Expeditionary Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi-spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.