Month: October 2023

Source: United States Navy

Support provided by Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) and the Eastern North Carolina (ENC) Tech Bridge to local educators will help shape lesson plans that prepare students for STEM-related occupations, including the aviation-focused careers found at the aircraft maintenance depot.

FRCE and the ENC Tech Bridge hosted two Havelock teachers who worked for six weeks during July and August. As part of the STEM East Industry in Schools initiative, Whitney Hernandez, a teacher at Roger Bell New Tech Academy, and Misty Guthrie, a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teacher at Tucker Creek Middle School, learned about the varied career opportunities available at FRCE. They used this knowledge to develop a workshop and model lesson plans focused on training educators about aviation career pathways in eastern North Carolina.

FRCE expects the investment in curriculum development to pay off as today’s students join tomorrow’s technical workforce.

“This is a win for FRC East because we’re helping to build our future workforce,” said Randall Lewis, FRCE Advanced Technologies and Innovation team lead. “If we can get kids excited about aviation and the types of jobs we do here, and the schools give them the skills and tools they need to pursue these opportunities, then chances are good they could have a successful career here at FRC East.”

Guthrie and Hernandez presented their findings to more than 20 teachers from a number of eastern North Carolina school districts who attended the STEM East Aviation Sciences Leadership Institute at Craven Community College’s Havelock Campus Aug. 2-3. The STEM East Network connects educators with employers through a network of partnerships, with the goal of building a workforce that will meet the current and future needs of the labor market. Industry in Schools provides an opportunity for teachers to engage with regional industry to design instructional programming and classroom activities that align with curriculum standards.

The Eastern North Carolina Tech Bridge coordinated the efforts of the STEM East Network, the Craven 100 Alliance and Fleet Readiness Center East to give the teachers a meaningful opportunity to create an industry-based curriculum suitable for students from elementary to high school. Event organizers said emphasizing STEM skills in local schools is not just good for the students, but for the area economy as well.

“Even though there are lots of technical opportunities in the area, we still live in a relatively small community,” said Jamaine Clemmons, director of the ENC Tech Bridge. “As much talent as we can grow locally and retain here, the better we’re going to be from a workforce perspective and the better we will be able to meet the needs of tomorrow’s warfighters.”

Another advantage to including STEM-based lessons is that it broadens the students’ options for pursuing career training after high school, said Bruce Middleton, executive director of the STEM East Network.

“We’ve lived in a culture for many years that believed students had to go to a four-year university in order to be successful,” Middleton said. “We need to broaden that conversation to include two-year community colleges or even credentialing programs that could prepare students for well-paying jobs in the region without having to go to college.” 

Communities with strong STEM-focused educational systems are also attractive targets for technical industries that are looking to relocate, according to Jeff Wood, Craven County Economic Development director and executive director of the Craven 100 Alliance.

“I have site selectors who ask us what kind of workforce training we have all the way back into middle school,” Wood said.  “So to be able to say we have programs like this with our largest industrial employer is a fantastic selling point for businesses that are considering moving to our area.”

The teachers said the goal behind their project is to help other educators make STEM subjects and technical careers at FRCE accessible to all their students.

“The model lessons that we used to show teachers how to integrate industry into the core curriculum classes included a variety of activities like making gliders or wiring helicopters with lights, so that teachers could see how they could incorporate industrial jobs into their specific curriculum,” said Guthrie. “One of our goals was to help teachers understand their impact on the local workforce and how to take the ideas we shared and scale them up to challenge high school students, or scale them down so the concepts do not overwhelm elementary school students. Our focus was to show the teachers in the Eastern region that this is an attainable and valuable goal.”

Educators are realizing that elementary school is an ideal time to start students thinking about their future careers, said Michelle Smith, FRCE’s K-12 STEM education outreach coordinator and a former middle school teacher.

“Kids often walk into sixth grade convinced that they’re bad at school and they’re not going to go far,” Smith said. “That’s why it’s too late to wait until middle school to talk about careers, especially technical careers that may require math and science, because they may already have decided they don’t have those skills. If we can get elementary school kids feeling excited and capable about math and science, maybe they’ll consider a technical path when it’s time to choose a career.”

Hernandez agreed, noting that students should be able to transition from school into high-paying technical careers without following the traditional pipelines that lead straight to four-year colleges and universities.

“The fact is FRCE needs mechanics and other industrial trade workers, and there are artisans there who make more money in a year than many people with four-year degrees,” added Hernandez. “Our focus is to create a pathway that all of our students can follow and make a good living right here at home if that’s what they want to do.”

The Aviation Sciences Leadership Institute also included tours of FRCE, aviation areas at the Craven Community College Havelock campus, and the North Carolina State University Mechanical Engineering System’s satellite campus. During these tours, educators learned how to integrate aviation and aviation maintenance topics into their classroom while also learning how students interested in aviation-focused careers can pursue that pathway through post-secondary education.

The teachers said they are confident that their summer experience at FRCE will help some of their students start down a path toward future career opportunities that they might not have otherwise discovered.

“When you think of the growth that FRCE anticipates, my students who have just graduated from fifth grade will be the class of 2030, so where will FRCE be in 2030?” asked Hernandez. “Those students will be entering the workforce or seeking higher education in 2030, so this is one thing that I can do as a fifth-grade teacher to ensure that they are prepared to make smart career choices.”

FRCE plans to continue working closely with area educators to incorporate industry-based lessons into school curriculum. According to Lewis, this strategy is expected to equip students with the skills they will need to compete for technical jobs close to home, and that’s good news for FRCE.

“This creates a win-win situation because the students can find good jobs at FRC East, and they are more likely to make their careers here if they are from the local area,” Lewis said. “So the student who is interested in aviation or likes math today could have a great career at FRC East in the future, and we get to be a part of that.”

FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.

Source: United States Navy

Such a challenge emerged in 2020, when NASA charged NPS and two other research teams with solving a critical barrier facing the development of electric aircraft propulsion (EAP): the creation of a circuit breaker that could support large electric platforms running on direct current (DC) electricity. Thanks to the efforts of a diverse team of faculty and students, as well as several Navy and academic research partners, NPS delivered an innovative working prototype.

This past March, the successful test of the “Navy High Speed Solid-State Fault Management System for Electric Aircraft Propulsion” confirmed the breakthrough results. The NPS-led design was able to provide a viable DC circuit breaker to NASA, pushing the project development forward to Level 6 on the Technology Readiness Level scale – a 9-level measurement system used to assess the maturity of a particular technology.

The effort to research and design the DC circuit breaker for EAP was led by Dr. Di Zhang, NPS Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, along with a team of NPS students. Zhang, who came to NPS in 2019 after working on electric power converter designs with General Electric’s Global Research Center, is widely considered one of the nation’s leading experts on large electric vehicles.

As a result of his team’s work, Zhang was awarded a $750,000 research grant by NASA to continue his research with a goal to refine the weight and performance of the team’s initial breaker design.

The breakthrough achieved at NPS could be a critical step in the development of EAP, one of many emerging technologies receiving increased attention due to the emphasis placed by the Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, on accelerating innovation throughout the Department of the Navy.

“We are indeed in an innovation race — and it is one we must win,” said Del Toro during remarks at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 28. “Innovation must permeate every aspect of our Department’s approach to the delivery of the technologies and capabilities at a speed and scale necessary for our Navy and Marine Corps to confront the challenges of today and the future.”

NPS will play a significant role in supporting the development of EAP technology and other relevant innovation efforts following the establishment of the Naval Innovation Center (NIC) at NPS. First announced in December 2022, the NIC will leverage NPS education and research to drive “ideas to impact,” bringing research concepts out of the lab and into the field faster by empowering students, faculty and partners across the entire Naval Research & Development Establishment (NR&DE) to work with the naval innovation ecosystem and industry.

Accelerated innovation for technologies such as EAP is also facilitated through the Secretary of the Navy’s “Climate Action 2030” policy, which prioritizes the development of systems that are not dependent on fossil fuels, expanding the use of renewable energy and electric propulsion.

In addition to supporting Climate Action 2030 and similar policy goals, EAP can also enable numerous new design freedoms and functions, leading to lower energy consumption and higher propulsion efficiency. And, of course, the noise signature of combustion engines could be all but eliminated utilizing EAP, enhancing stealth capabilities of future systems.

“Electric propulsion technology is crucial for future Navy capabilities, offering enhanced design flexibility, supporting power-intensive advanced systems, and ensuring stealth, efficiency, and adaptability in evolving naval environments,” said Zhang. “The technology’s integration also paves the way for the adoption of emerging energy sources, solidifying the Navy’s technological edge.”

Zhang and his NPS student team were joined in their research efforts by partners from Virginia Tech, Clemson University and the University of Connecticut, and received engineering support from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in China Lake, Calif., and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Philadelphia division.

According to Zhang, one of the fundamental questions when looking at utilizing electric power is the distinction between products that run on direct current and alternating current (AC).

“A hundred years ago, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison had a battle over the advantages of AC versus DC electric power. Tesla won, and now much of what we use and see is running on AC power,” said Zhang.

There are certain advantages to using AC electricity, he says. AC generators are the primary source of electric power, which are driven by steam, nuclear, or other power sources. AC can be transmitted across great distances and is also easily changed to different voltage levels through the use of transformers that can step voltage up and down. As its name implies, AC has an alternating current that runs in a sinusoidal pattern; this makes AC electricity relatively safe and easy to interrupt with a circuit breaker as the waveform naturally crosses zero.

Direct current has its own advantages that are rising in importance as technology looks to the future. DC systems require less cabling and can be smaller and lighter than AC systems, as well as more power efficient. Clean sources of energy – like wind and solar – store power in photovoltaic grids and batteries which are inherently DC compatible. Electric cars that use DC power are also able to use regenerative braking to return energy to their batteries, and they are run in a compact space that does not require long distance transmission.

“The trend we’re seeing in energy industries and in electric vehicles is this switch to DC, and that’s why it is so important to look towards this electric aircraft design,” explained Zhang. “With DC, we can make a design lighter and smaller with the same power which is critical for aviation and Navy applications. The target for this DC breaker design is to get the same amount of power while cutting the weight to one tenth of what’s been developed.”

One thing that doesn’t get smaller and lighter with DC systems is the circuit breaker. The challenge that NASA posed to NPS was to create a circuit breaker that could shut down an electric aircraft running at maximum power in a safe, simple – and size-efficient – way.

“Think of electricity flowing like water through a pipe. A circuit breaker is the tool you need to shut that water off. With DC, high amounts of current and voltage equate to a huge flow of water that is hard to shut down quickly,” explained U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Michael Smith, an NPS electrical engineering graduate. “That quick change from a high to low voltage, or high to low current, creates an electromagnetic field that can interfere with other electric systems.”

Capt. Smith is one of five NPS students who worked on the project with Zhang. Since his graduation in September 2022, he now applies his degree as an Expeditionary Energy Officer for the Marines. His master’s thesis focused on testing circuit boards to ensure they could withstand the electromagnetic interference of a large-scale DC circuit breaker, and he was able to successfully identify manufactured circuit boards that would function under the required conditions.

“The trick to reaching industry standards is in the balance,” said Zhang. “You need to design something new, but not too new or it is unproven and risky. You cannot only be innovative; you must also be practical. So, we had three years during a global pandemic, which hindered manufacturing and access to technology, to produce a result that is as safe and simple as possible.”

In spite of those challenges, the team was able to successfully meet the deadline. While Zhang is pleased with the achievement of his students and the positive feedback from NASA, he is far from done with this research.

“I’m very proud of the students that I’ve worked with who have shown great ability with hands-on research,” said Zhang. “I’m also proud of my team and colleagues here at NPS who have such strong industry experience and perspective towards electrical engineering. It’s with this perspective that we’re able to deliver something so practical, useful, and impactful.”

NPS Vice Provost for Research Dr. Kevin Smith complimented Zhang and his research team, noting the achievement as an exemplar of how basic and applied research at NPS leads to relevant technology solutions.

“Di Zhang’s accomplishment is a great example of how our faculty lead interdisciplinary research at NPS, leveraging our students’ operational insight and our innovation ecosystem of academic and industry partners to solve problems and drive concepts to capability,” said Dr. Smith.  

Source: United States Navy

Secretary Del Toro made the announcement during Fleet Week San Francisco.

“The future USS San Francisco, once commissioned, will be our nation’s newest Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine. USS San Francisco will build upon the legacy of her namesakes, and will no doubt represent the people of this city and our nation with honor wherever she may sail,” said Secretary Del Toro.

In addition, Secretary Del Toro announced the Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi agreed to be the ship’s sponsor. In that role, Speaker Emerita Pelosi will represent a lifelong relationship with the ship and crew.

“For over 36 years, Speaker Emerita Pelosi has represented the people of San Francisco with honor and distinction in Congress and has served as a staunch advocate for our national security and the promotion of our democratic values around the world,” said Secretary Del Toro. “She is a champion for justice and equality, to ensure every American is afforded the dignity and respect they deserve.”

“It is with great pride and patriotism that I serve as the sponsor of the magnificent USS San Francisco, which will bring luster to our City as it sails the seas defending our Nation,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “The naming of this ship comes as our City and our Nation continue to mourn the loss of our beloved Dianne Feinstein: our Forever Mayor, a champion of San Francisco and a proud patriot. It is fitting that we announce the naming of this ship during San Francisco Fleet Week, a tradition that she began as Mayor more than four decades ago. As we honor Senator Feinstein’s towering legacy, may the USS San Francisco always find fair winds and following seas.”

This is the fourth vessel to honor San Francisco. The first San Francisco, a steel protected cruiser, blockaded Havana, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War and served as a mine planter in the North Sea during World War I.

The second San Francisco, a heavy cruiser, had an equally distinguished career, participating in operations and engagements at Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, Guam, the Marshall Islands, and Okinawa during World War II. In total, the ship and its crew earned 17 Battle Stars, a Presidential Unit Citation, four Medals of Honor, and 32 Navy Crosses.

The third San Francisco was a Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine (SSN 711), which completed multiple deployments to the western Pacific, earning a Navy Unit Commendation and Navy Expeditionary Medal among other awards. Decommissioned in 2022, the venerable boat now serves as a moored training vessel for the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit, Charleston, South Carolina.

Attack submarines like the future USS San Francisco are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces (SOF); carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare.

More information on attack submarines can be found here.
https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169558/attack-submarines-ssn/

Source: United States Navy

Established in 1854, Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the Nation’s first Navy base in the Pacific. During World War II, it was one of the busiest naval shipyards in the world. In its last 25 years of operation, it was the leading submarine port for the West Coast.

Today, with strategic competition challenges in the Pacific, Secretary Del Toro, joined by U. S. Rep. John Garamendi, toured the Mare Island Dry Dock facility, met with shipyard leadership, and discussed opportunities and options to address emerging maritime challenges and increase shipyard capacity in the Pacific.

“We’re making a concerted effort to improve our naval shipbuilding and repair industry – both public and commercial – with historically high investments in the industrial base,” said Secretary Del Toro. “That’s how we grow our nation’s strategic advantage at sea.”

During the visit, Secretary Del Toro expressed how impressed he was with the facilities and the amount of capacity and infrastructure that remains.

As Secretary Del Toro outlined in his recent address at Harvard, “The maritime industry is a strategic sector critical to our economic and national security. It is vital to achieving resilient global supply chains and is ripe with opportunity to partner with a greater number of shipbuilders here in the U.S. and with our closest allies overseas, including Japan and South Korea. It also requires urgent U.S. public investment and international statecraft to attract the necessary private capital.”

The visit to Mare Island Dry Dock is the latest shipyard engagement by the Secretary. In July, Secretary Del Toro visited Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF). In August, he toured Bayonne Drydock & Repair Corp.

The visits are part of the Department of the Navy’s efforts toward a new maritime statecraft that is bold and founded on a strong Navy and Marine Corps to fulfill our national security interests and address future challenges.

Additionally, the administration is working to set the necessary conditions to attract the most advanced shipbuilders in the world to open U.S.-owned subsidiaries and invest in commercial shipyards here in the U.S., modernizing and expanding our shipbuilding industrial capacity and creating a healthier, more competitive shipbuilding workforce.