TESTER Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Welcome Spring! Vol. 72, No. 11
Women of Influence Page 2
Accolades Around the Air Station Page 4
Michaels Takes Lead of VX-1 Page 7
Celebrating 71 Years of Community Partnership
Pax Pros garner top community service award
March 19, 2015
$146,026 Estimated dollar value of volunteer time in 2013 was $22.55 per hour, which puts the value of NAS Patuxent River's volunteer time in local schools at $147,026.00
STEM Day Launched STEM Day was an initiative targeting boys and girls from 4th -8th grade and was held in collaboration with I-STEM, the non-profit arm of the College of Southern Maryland
570 hours
U.S. Navy photo by Shawn Graham
Yeoman 3rd Class Libby Nguyen, assigned to NAVAIR (7.3), reads to students at George Washington Carver Elementary School. From across the installation, 460 military and civilian volunteers spent more than 6,500 hours tutoring, mentoring and serving as positive role models for Southern Maryland youths. By Donna Cipolloni and Shawn Graham NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs
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AS Patuxent River has won the Naval District Washington (NDW) regional Personal Excellence Program (PEP) flagship award, recognizing
volunteer service within area’s public and private schools. Capt. Heidi Fleming, NAS Patuxent River commanding officer received a Certificate of Excellence from Olivia Hunter, NDW community service program manager, on behalf of Rear Adm. Markham Rich,
Commandant, NDW, during an awards ceremony at the base. “NAS Pax River’s team of professionals is continually leaning forward to give their time and talents, not just in our schools, but throughout the community in a variety of programs, events and activities,” Fleming
said. “This robust spirit of volunteerism demonstrates the incredible partnership we all feel with the local community, and the true desire to give back.” From across the installation, 460 military and civilian volunteers spent more than 6,500 hours tutoring, mentoring,
During the 2013-2014 school year, 19 military, DOD civilian, and contract personnel from NAS Patuxent River volunteered over 570 hours conducting weekly after school mentoring sessions providing technical expertise or simply serving as positive role models for youth throughout Southern Maryland, thus helping to develop students to their fullest potential in the areas of academic achievement,
See Service, Page 8
Program manager protects Pax River's cultural resources Wins CNO Environmental Award By Donna Cipolloni NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs
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AS Patuxent River Cultural Resources Manager, Mike Smolek, won the 2014 Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Award in the category of Cultural Resources Management/Individual. For the program’s fiscal year competition — which recognized Navy ships, installations, teams and individuals for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to improving the Navy’s environmental performance — 53 nominations from commands around the world were received in 10 categories. A panel of judges comprising environmental
subject matter experts and representatives from the Navy and non-government organizations reviewed the nominations and selected the winners, which were announced in early March. In his job identifying and preserving Pax River’s cultural resources, Smolek, an archaeologist by profession, is responsible for assessing proposed construction or repair projects — anything that disturbs soil and may impact archaeological sites or modify historic structures — for their potential impact, as part of the environmental review process. “I’m not at all surprised that Mike won the award; his knowledge of the laws that
govern how you treat cultural resources — whether it be a standing structure or undisturbed earth — as well as his historical knowledge of Maryland continues to amaze me,” said Lance McDaniel, environmental director for Pax River. “His expertise allows him to advise base leadership on the proper avenues to proceed, as well as possible alternatives, so that neither the cultural resource nor the mission is affected detrimentally; which is why we haven’t had any adverse effects in the five years he’s been on board.”
What Are Pax River’s Cultural Resources? The Pax River complex en-
compasses 19 properties in five Maryland counties and covers approximately 15,000 acres, with thousands more acres of Navy-controlled water ranges. Its diverse cultural resources include prehistoric archaeological sites, 17th and 18th century Colonial sites, shipwrecks and other underwater sites. There are also a number of significant architectural resources from the 18th to 21st centuries, including historic structures pre-dating the Navy’s arrival; large military structures such as aircraft hangars and catapults; unique facilities and structures designed specifically for aviation-related research, development, test and evalu-
U.S. Navy photo by Donna Cipolloni
NAS Patuxent River Cultural Resources Manager Mike Smolek checks a bag of artifacts recovered at the site of an archaeological dig on Navy-owned property. In March, Smolek received the Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Award for his historic preservation and cultural resources management efforts. ation (RDT&E) work, such as centrifugal gun testers and firing tunnels; and historic landscapes, including two entire airfields.
In addition to managing Pax’s cultural resources, Smolek serves collateral duty
See CNO, Page 5