August 2014 NAWCTSD Ranks 6th on ‘Top 100 Companies for Working Families’ Courtesy of NAWCTSD Public Affairs
The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) received honors from the Orlando Sentinel as number six on its annual list of Top 100 Companies for Working Families. This is the eighth year in a row the command received Top 100 honors. NAWCTSD’s selection was announced at an awards luncheon hosted Aug. 1 by the newspaper. While the rankings of only the top ten companies are published, they are released to winning organizations during the course of the luncheon.
PM TRASYS Holds Change of Charter On July 28, Lt. Col. (P) Walt Yates accepted the charter as the new Marine Corps Systems Command Program Manager for Training Systems at a Change of Charter Ceremony. He replaced acting PM Dan Torgler, who assumed the responsibility in December 2013 when PM Col. Michael Coolican was reassigned to Director, Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate. Yates previously served as the Modeling & Simulation Project Officer at PM TRASYS, and returns to the Team Orlando community after serving as the Deputy for Modeling & Simulation for the USMC, from Aug. 2011 – July 2013, and then recently at the Office of the Secretary of Defense as a Corporate Fellow.
Contract Awarded for VA National Simulation Center The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded Chicago-based Archer Western/DeMaria Joint Venture VIII a $19.8 million contract June 27 to build the VA Simulation, Learning, Education and Research Network (SimLEARN) National Simulation Center. The center, to be located on the campus of the new Orlando VA Medical Center in the Lake Nona “Medical City” area, will serve as the operational hub for coordination of all national VA simulation-based clinical training activities.
ADL Initiative Director Murray to Retire after 25-year DoD Career Courtesy of ADL
After serving as the Director of the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative for four years, Dr. Kristy Murray is retiring as of Aug. 31, 2014. Previously she was the ADL Initiative’s Deputy Director and Director of the ADL Co-Lab in Orlando (Joint ADL Co-Lab). Her career with the Department of Defense spanned 26 years. Prior to coming to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Murray worked in various modeling and simulation, training and acquisition positions with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army. Murray led ADL through the evolution of its Next Generation Learning Environment, and she guided the conception of the Training and Learning Architecture (TLA), ensuring that its modular design can enable a rich environment for the future development of distance training and learning.
Growing Up On the Edge of Two Cultures By Dolly Rairigh Glass
Elaine Raybourn was born and raised in the Republic of Panama in the former Canal Zone and lived there until she was 19. She attended American schools and was raised speaking both English and Spanish. “Many of us who grew up on the edge of two cultures were bicultural and bilingual,” Raybourn explained. She lived in Panama during the regimes of two Panamanian military leaders. “Both Panamanian and United States militaries were very present,” Raybourn said. “It was something that my friends and I, at a very early age, were exposed to, and I have a number of friends today that work for the Government or have become Panama Canal pilots. These were not uncommon career choices for us.”
August 22-24 MT3/HEATT (Medical Technology, Training & Treatment/Healthcare Education Assessment Training & Technology) Rosen Shingle Creek http://halldale.com/heat September 3-5 GameTech Conference Rosen Shingle Creek www.gametechconference.com September 9 PALT PEO STRI 9 a.m. Partnership 3, Rooms 321 A/B 3039 Technology Parkway September 9 PALT NAWCTSD Time: TBD Partnership 3, Rooms 321 A/B 3039 Technology Parkway September 15 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Submissions Deadline for Games www.sgschallenge.com October 4 Central Florida Navy League Annual Ball Rosen Centre www.cfnavyleague.com October 7 PALT PEO STRI 9 a.m. Partnership 3, Rooms 321 A/B 3039 Technology Parkway October 7 MT3 Technology Expo 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Partnership 2, Rooms 208-209 www.mt3techexpo.com October 22 Fall Team Orlando Industry Capability Day 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Partnership 3, Room 321 A/B www.simulationinformation.com November 4 PALT PEO STRI 9 a.m. Partnership 3, Rooms 321 A/B 3039 Technology Parkway November 4 PALT NAWCTSD Time: TBD Partnership 3, Rooms 321 A/B 3039 Technology Parkway November 8 Central Florida Marine Corps Birthday Ball Rosen Center www.CentralFloridaMarines.org
‘Builder’ of Future VA Virtual Hospital to Speak at GameTech As Orlando awaits the opening of its new VA Hospital located in Lake Nona, plans are already underway for the newest VA hospital; one that won’t reside in any particular city, but instead will be accessible to patients and staff from anywhere online. The VA Virtual Medical Center, the first of its kind, is under development and the leader of this effort, Dr. Manny Dominguez, is one of four scheduled keynote speakers at GameTech 2014. Each of the speakers are deeply immersed in serious gaming, virtual worlds, and mobile learning, and will share their knowledge and thoughts on ways to ensure these future technologies continue to be used to their full potential; specifically for learning.
December 1-4 I//ITSEC Orange County Convention Center www.iitsec.org
Get Your Tickets for CMWRA Summer Splash – August 23
Busy July for STEM Activities at NAWCTSD By Sunny Simmonds, NAWCTSD
On July 1, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) partnered with the National Center for Simulation (NCS) and the University of Central Florida (UCF) Institute for Simulation & Training (IST) to host the ZORA! STEM Summer Camp, a middle school camp organized by the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community. Lt. Gen. (USAF, retired) Tom Baptiste, NCS president, welcomed 23 students and four chaperones, who toured IST and NAWCTSD. Eileen Smith and her team at the E2i Creative Studio provided demonstrations at IST, while Cmdr. Henry Phillips led the visiting group through NAWCTSD to include a demonstration of a large scale Visual System and discussions with Navy/ USMC aviators.
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News from ADL: App Challenge Deadline and More Courtesy of ADL
REMINDER: Learning App Challenge Deadline is September 2 Attention App developers! The deadline to submit your entry for the third annual Learning App Challenge is less than a month away. ADL is accepting mobile learning Apps designed to support Education, Training, or Performance Support for adult learners or students in grades K-12 through September 2, 2014. For more information and instructions on how to submit your App, visit the Learning App Challenge web page.
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PEO STRI Interns Deliver Enhanced SeaPerch
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By Abdul Siddiqui, US Army PEO STRI STEM Mentor
The U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) Engineering Directorate, in collaboration with the members of Team Orlando and Central Florida STEM Education Council, implemented a high school internship three years ago to facilitate Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) capability for the local county students. This year’s program centered around work on the SeaPerch, a submersible remote operated underwater vehicle (ROV).
Calling All Serious Games Developers By Dolly Rairigh Glass
Submissions are officially open for the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge! Launching into its ninth year, the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C) is the foremost venue for recognition of excellence in the field of Serious Games development. The top games, as chosen by the worldwide panel and students in participating schools, will be celebrated at this year’s 2014 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando.
Fall Industry Capability Day Oct. 22 National Center for Simulation announced the next Team Orlando Fall Industry Capability Day (ICD) is Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Partnership 3, Room 321-A/B. These half-day events allow companies from diverse areas to showcase new and exciting capabilities for acquisition and professional personnel from all Team Orlando commands in a relaxed environment. ICD events are not geared for any particular technology or mission/skill, but share a central component of training or generally improving human performance.
NCS: Upcoming Election and Hall of Fame Nominees On Sept. 30, two members of the NCS Board of Directors terms of service will expire and each of the incumbents is eligible to run for re-election, however the election is also open to other NCS members who are interested in seeking a seat on the BOD for a three-year term. NCS will seek nominees and collect individual information to post to the NCS website until close of business on Friday, Aug. 29.
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