View from the Bridge By Commanding Officer Capt. Phillip Dawson III
As the dark storm clouds of WWII gathered over Europe, Sir Winston Churchill is quoted to have said, “Gentlemen, we have run out of money; now we have to think.” Although times are not that difficult now, our country faces a rise in potential adversaries while having to make tough fiscal decisions. Now, more than ever, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) needs to look at new ways to address our warfighter challenges efficiently, to exercise one of our core values – INNOVATION. Fortunately, NSWC PCD has a long tradition of such innovation. Shortly after this command was established, our scientists and engineers invented new ways of defeating the mine threat. The concept of the side scan sonar was developed during the early 1950s here at U.S. Navy Mine Defense Laboratory, Panama City Florida—now known as NSWC PCD. Dr. Julius Hageman, a German scientist who relocated to the Laboratory after World War II proposed the “short-range high-definition mine location sonar” that would eventually become the C-MK-1 mine classification sonar system, more commonly known as “Shadowgraph.” In the late 1950’s, NSWC PCD used early helicopters and tested Airborne Mine Counter Measures (AMCM), the first successful attempt to get mineman out of the minefield. Fast forward twenty years and
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our Navy was experimenting with ways to expand access of its amphibious forces in what we now call Ship-to-Objective Maneuver or STOM. Panama City pioneered the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) which has become the mainstay of our Navy’s amphibious operations. All of these technologies were game changers. Innovation continues with a recent example including the mine roller. At the height of the crisis with IEDs in Afghanistan and Iraq, NSWC PCD designed and prototyped the mine roller within 7 months. By providing a proven design and using competitive bids, we were able to quickly get thousands of mine rollers into the combat theater, saving countless lives. However, innovation isn’t limited to developing new material solutions. New signal processing software has enhanced the performance of legacy sonar systems, reducing the need to develop hardware upgrades. Changes in tactics reduced the number of Airborne Mine Neutralization System destructors required. The examples can go on and on. The challenges we face aren’t restricted to supporting the warfighter. Public breaches in ethics, such as Government Purchase Card abuse and the Mariano fraud cases, have resulted in processes that are more cumbersome and time consuming, resulting in longer lead times for materials and supplies. Threats to our IT networks require ever increasing efforts to ensure our intellectual
property and secure information remains protected. These and other compliance requirements require additional resources and can create an administrative burden. So what can we do increase efficiency and reduce the burden? Through Lean Events, procurement processes have been streamlined and lead times have improved. Similarly, IT processes have been improved. However, there remains much room for more improvement across the spectrum of business and administrative practices. We must do better to innovatively implement our compliance programs and make them more compatible with our ability to accomplish our mission. In the upcoming year, I will share with you monthly the status on our efforts to manage change and compliance. Many of our ideas for successful business side improvements have come from the workforce. In an effort to facilitate identifying issues, barriers and solutions, we’ll be expanding our current Commanding Officer/Technnical Director suggestion box program to include placing physical boxes in various buildings for you to submit your observations and ideas. I’ll also be increasing the frequency of the ‘brown bag’ lunches. We’re eager to hear from you and with your help, we’ll improve the efficiency by implementing your innovative solutions. Thank you again for all you do and we’re looking forward to your suggestions. ♦
Coastal Compass - July 2016
NSWC PCD Supports 11th Annual FSU PC STEM Camp By Katherine Mapp, NSWC PCD Office of Congressional and Public Affairs
PANAMA CITY, Florida — Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) personnel supported Florida State University Panama City’s (FSU PC) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Institute’s 11th annual STEM camp June 13, 2016. The STEM camp is designed to engage the minds of students by allowing them to have hands on experience in a laboratory setting with a variety of STEM related subjects. The mission of FSU PC’s STEM Institute is to promote educational excellence by providing educators with professional skills, creating quality learning opportunities for students, cultivating regional partnerships and developing new STEM education programs. The FSU PC STEM Camp allows STEM professionals and local educators an opportunity to inspire students to have an interest in STEM by giving them hands on experience by learning in various areas, including: chemistry, marine biology, coding, robotics and electronics. According to Dr. John Smith, FSU PC STEM Institute Director, the STEM camp would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors like NSWC PCD, who provides a sizeable grant each year. “Because of the grant, students are able to attend the STEM camp essentially free. NSWC PCD has been working the funding and manpower for several years by providing volunteer hours, mentors and teachers for this educational event,” said Smith. The funds originate with the Department of Defense’s STEM program, formerly called the National Defense Education Program. These funds are distributed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to Naval facilities participating in ONR’s Naval STEM program. Ed Linsenmeyer, NSWC PCD STEM outreach coordinator, of-
PANAMA CITY, Florida - Paige George, NSWC PCD mechanical engineer, assists middle school students in building a Lego Mindstorm robotic vehicle on June 13, 2016 at the 11th annual Florida State University Panama City (FSU PC) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Camp. U.S. Navy Photo by Katherine Mapp (RELEASED) 160613-N-PD526-002.
Coastal Compass - July 2016
PANAMA CITY, Florida - Kinsey Naud, NSWC PCD electrical engineer, assists middle school students in measuring voltage and current to calculate power in an electronics lab on June 13, 2016 at the 11th annual Florida State University Panama City (FSU PC) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Camp. U.S. Navy Photo by Katherine Mapp (RELEASED) 160613-N-PD526-001.
fered advice to the STEM camp students. “Almost any job you look for now follows some aspect of STEM. I encourage students to look into many of the two year associate of science programs that are offered,” said Linsenmeyer. “From there, students can decide which path they’d like to take to get to their choice of a STEM career. This gives them an opportunity to learn more about STEM programs and various aspects of the STEM field.” The STEM camp has also sparked interest among students in other counties. After becoming involved in the FSU PC STEM Camp years ago, Kathy Nelson, instructor at Florida Panhandle Technical College, began a STEM club to foster learning to students in rural counties. During opening remarks at the orientation ceremony, Nelson gave words of encouragement to the students in attendance. “The neat thing about this camp is that students have the opportunity to learn about STEM from the experts; from those people who have gotten their educations and are now professionals in the STEM field, particularly from our Navy base,” said Nelson. “Students might want to talk to these experts and find out how they got where they are in their careers. These individuals are making a wonderful difference in our world.” The STEM camp began in 2005 through the efforts of former NSWC PCD Technical Directors Dr. Ace Summey and Dr. Dave Skinner, former NWC PCD Department Head Leon Walters, Linsenmeyer, along with academic leaders including Bay County School District Board Member Ginger Littleton. NSWC PCD employees involved as instructors at the STEM camp included: Daniel Flisek, Paige George, Rachel Ivy, Kinsey Naud and Gavin Taylor. ♦
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NSWC PCD Employees Mentor FSU PC Students
PANAMA CITY, Florida - The Mosquito Catcher (MoCa) team is advancing a formerly successful capstone project completed in 2013 by redesigning it for better portability and programmability. The trap will release an attractant (CO2) and draw in and maintain unharmed mosquitos for at least 14 hours. The captured mosquitos will be inventoried to help local mosquito control experts understand infestation details. Teammates pictured from left to right are: Seungjin Lee and Joe Stanford. U.S. Navy Photo by Katherine Mapp (RELEASED) 160706-N-PD526-00.
PANAMA CITY, Florida — The Digital Subwoofer Correction (DISCO) team designed a project that applies recently-published techniques for compensating phase distortion while minimizing signal delay in subwoofers while producing quality sound. Pictured from left to right are: Jeremy Cheatham, Chad DeFranco and Nathan Williams. U.S. Navy Photo by Katherine Mapp (RELEASED) 160706-N-PD526-002.
Special thanks to Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division engineers Rick Hurst and Bill Porter, for mentoring the Florida State University Panama City Electrical Engineering students on their capstone projects!
PANAMA CITY, Florida —The Beehive Information Gathering System (BIGS) team designed a prototype with intentions of building a field server to store hive sensor readings and electronically gathered vital information from a bee hive without the keeper manually disturbing the hive. FSU PC’s electrical engineering program held their capstone project presentations on July 6, 2016. Teammates pictured from left to right are: Joseph Gibson, Christopher Pennington, Jason Taliaferro, Hank Williams and Danny White. U.S. Navy Photo by Katherine Mapp (RELEASED) 160706-N-PD526-003..
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Coastal Compass - July 2016
Inside This Edition
MWR Holds Fifth Teen Science Camp
View from the Bridge...........................................2 11th Annual FSU PC STEM Camp................... 3 PCD Employees Mentor FSU PC Students..... 4 MWR Holds Fifth Teen Science Camp.............. 5 Awards from the Captain....................................6 HR: Award Goes To.............................................7 People and Products: Pedro Mundoz............... 8 Boy Scout Troops Visit Command..................... 9 Science Brothers Receive Special Award.......10 Command Stands Up New CSTRS Depot.... 11 Senior Technology Spotlight: Dr. Burnett... 12-15
A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority
PANAMA CITY, Florida — AWS1(AN) Helicopter First Class David Finn discusses various aspects of the MH-60 helicopter to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students during the Naval Support Activity Panama City Morale, Welfare and Recreation Teen 2016 STEM Week on June 29, 2016 in the aviation hangar aboard Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division. U.S. Navy Photo by Katherine Mapp (RELEASED) 160629-N-PD526-005.
By Katherine Mapp, NSWC PCD Office of Congressional and Public Affairs
Version 1.0 January 2016
Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Guidance “On the eve of the 20th century, the United States emerged from the Civil War and laid the foundation to become a global power, but its course to continued prosperity was unclear. Navy Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan helped to chart that course, arguing that American growth required access to overseas markets, which in turn required a preeminent navy to protect that access. America became a nation with global interests, and the seas were the path to new frontiers. The essence of Mahan’s vision still pertains: America’s interests lie beyond our own shores. What was true in the late 19th century holds true today – America’s success depends on our creativity, our entrepreneurism, and our access and relationships abroad. In an increasingly globalized world, America’s success is even more reliant on the U.S. Navy.” (Excerpt from CNO’s Strategic Guide) Download the Chief of Naval Operation’s Strategic Guidance at: http://www. navy.mil/cno/docs/cno_stg.pdf.
PANAMA CITY, Florida – Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) at Panama City, Florida and Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) partnered to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) during MWR’s first teen science camp, June 27 – July 1, 2016. According to Alana Anderson, Youth fitness and teen coordinator, this is the 5th year the teen camp is incorporating a science week onboard the Naval Support Activity Panama City (NSA PC). The camp is for teens of active duty military and Department of Defense employees. The summer 2016 teen STEM camp had a primary focus on robotics, computer engineering and programing. “The purpose of having teen STEM camp is so our teens can learn about the cutting-edge technologies our workforce develops at NSA PC,” said Alana Anderson, NSA PC MWR Youth Fitness and Teen Coordinator. “The students have the opportunity to learn about what these individuals do for the Navy.” During their camp, the campers visited NSWC PCD, Navy Experimental Diving Unit, Panama City U.S. Coast Guard Sta-
Coastal Compass - July 2016
tion, Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center and Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. Aboard NSWC PCD, the teens learned about robotics with scientist Jim Perkins, the MH-60S with NSWC PCD Dragonmasters in the aviation hangar, the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) with LCAC Operations Deputy Scott Feenstra and SEAL delivery vehicles (SDV) with SDV test pilot Sean McCready. The science week portion of the camp is focused on robotics. The teens learned how to create programs on the computer, create robots and how to manipulate those robots to do different movements. This year, the camp added a challenge portion to test the abilities of their robots and computer programs. By adding the challenges, the program encourages the teens to think outside of the box and go beyond the challenge to get a better understanding of the STEM aspects behind the missions. According to Anderson, the MWR STEM camp gives the teens a basic understanding of the STEM field and how important STEM education is to the Navy. “Some of our teens have an interest in pursuing careers in the military or STEM-
See TEEN, page 6
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Navy Commendation Medal Awarded
Fair Winds and Following Seas
PANAMA CITY, Florida - Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division Commanding Officer Capt. Phillip Dawson, right, presents Minemen Chief Petty Officer Fred Denson, left, with an end of tour Navy Commendation Medal June 28, 2016 in the NSWC PCD Aviation Unit. U.S. Navy Photo by Haley Walker (RELEASED) 160628-N-ND734-001.
PANAMA CITY, Florida - Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division Commanding Officer Capt. Phillip Dawson, right, presents Aviation Machinist mate Second Class (AW) Garrett Fiedler, left, with a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal which he earned for selfless devotion to duty. U.S. Photo by Haley Walker (RELEASED) 160628-N-ND734-006.
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TEEN related fields. The science week allows these teens to explore some of the various professions in the Navy,” said Anderson. “Students are introduced to various aspects of science and learn about the
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different types of careers that the military can provide within the STEM fields.” ♦
Coastal Compass - July 2016
Awards & Recognition Bulletin
July 2016
Highlight Achievements
July LOS Awards
Congratulations to:
30 Years
AD2 Garrett Fiedler, Code CXA2 Received a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his tour at NSWC PCD, June 2013 – June 2016
AD2 Garrett Fiedler, Code CXA2 Received the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for his outstanding public service from June 2013 – June 2016 MNC Frederick Denson (SW/AW), Code CXD1 Received a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his three year tour at NSWC PCD and to culminate his 29 year Naval Career
David Griffin Joseph Langford Garrett Leavitt Janet Stone
20 Years Laura Beacom
Upcoming Recognition Opportunities Name of Award
15 Years
Target Month
International Test & Evaluation Association (ITEA) Professional Awards
July
Rising Star Awards
July
National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Lt Gen Thomas R. Ferguson, Jr. Systems Engineering Excellence Award
July
Black Engineer of the Year Awards
August
Saroj Bono Torey Williams
10 Years Tammy Bushman Jeremy Hatcher
NSWC PCD Awards & Recognition Program Manager may be contacted at 234-4808
Coastal Compass - July 2016
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People and Products: Pedro Munoz from NSWC PCD
T
he NAVSEA Commander’s Executive Fellows Program (CEFP) offers NAVSEA civilian employees the opportunity to challenge themselves professionally while exploring areas for personal growth. CEFP fellows have the opportunity to interact meaningfully with senior Navy leadership, gain a better understanding of the leadership attributes necessary to be successful in the acquisition community and work on high-visibility projects such as cybersecurity initiatives. The Observer will profile this leadership development program through eyes of employees currently in the program, offering a chance to “Meet the Fellows.” Editor’s Note: This article has been re-printed with the expressed permission of the principle editor of the NAVSEA Observer. This specific article was published in the June 2016 issue.
Personal Background? into different thought processes and experiences. I I am a first generation American, born in New hope that by increasing my knowledge and building Jersey to Luis and Sara Munoz who were originally a network, that I can be effective in bringing capafrom Lima, Peru. I am the middle child of two brothbilities to the Navy to combat ever growing threats. ers. When this program started I lived in Panama Only through this continuous improvement can I be City, Florida. I am recently engaged, and we are better than I was yesterday. currently planning our wedding for New Year’s Eve What do you think was the best part of your 2016 in Peru. I graduated from Virginia Polytechnic program? Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s of SciI have recently started my first rotation, but I beence degree in Computer Engineering in 2002. Aflieve that the rotations will be the greatest aspect of ter graduation, I accepted a job at the Naval Surface the program. It provides the opportunity to underWarfare Center, Panama City, working in software/ stand a number of different facets of the Navy (and hardware development, system engineering and external organizations) in a short time period. With Pedro Munoz project engineering. the limited time in my rotation, my perspective on Prior to acceptance into the CEFP, I served as the branch head what the NAVSEA organization is responsible for has expanded for the Distributed Integration Branch which is responsible for vastly. common communications between unmanned vehicles and the Each rotation will provide additional details to the current Littoral Combat Ship and the Littoral Warfare System Facility picture that I have. It will introduce me to the talented men and Service Cost Center. The Service Cost center is responsible for women who work within the organization and see systemic things the management of the Mission Package Integration Lab (MPIL), that we as an organization excel at and where improvements can Information Assurance services, and Configuration Management be made. The experience gained from each rotation is unparalleled services. In my spare time, I like to stay active in sports including and will bring unique challenges and opportunities for my professoccer, volleyball and basketball. sional and personnel growth. Why you wanted to participate in the CEFP? What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome as When I heard about the CEFP program, I saw it as an oppor- part of the program? tunity to increase my knowledge of the NAVSEA organization. Personnel life is the biggest challenge. Currently my fiancé is Working at the warfare center has afforded me the opportunity to serving a 6-month tour in Afghanistan. Following that, with most see the system development of a number of programs at a focused of my rotations being in the DC area, the distance may become a level. Through the CEFP program I will be able to see another side challenge for us as well. The decision to start this program was a of the process both in strategic development and future planning. difficult one knowing that this would be an obstacle. However, I saw this program as a challenge to apply what I have learned we have no doubts that the benefits of this opportunity well help throughout my career across the NAVSEA organization. Lastly, strengthen our foundation for the future. it provides the opportunity to work alongside senior leadership, Would you recommend this program to others? where I hope to gain valuable knowledge which will help me beAbsolutely. Continuous improvement is better than delayed come a better mentor for the next generation of talented engineers perfection – Mark Twain. entering the workforce. The CEFP program gives each individual the opportunity of What do you hope to get out of the program? self-discovery, to really see where they can improve. It challenges Through the program I hope to understand the process of high- individuals who have shown success in their career by placing level strategic development and implementation. I plan to learn them outside of their comfort zone. The number of people that more about the organization, as well as the technical challenges you will meet is extraordinary and each individual brings a unique that face us today. Additionally, I am interested in learning how perspective. policies are put into place and for opportunities where they can be You are also fortunate enough to work with people who are in refined to gain efficiencies for the Navy. In meeting a diverse group of senior leaders, I will gain insight See MUNOZ, page 9
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Coastal Compass - July 2016
Boy Scout Troops Visit Command
Coastal Compass Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division Panama City, FL, 32407-7001 (850) 235-5990 DSN: 436-5990 Commanding Officer Capt. Phillip Dawson III, USN Executive Officer Cmdr. Paul G. Werring Jr. Division Technical Director Edwin Stewart (SES) Public Affairs Officer Jeffrey Prater Editor and Media Liaison
PANAMA CITY, Florida - U.S. Boy Scout troops pose for a group photo in front of the Naval Support Activity Panama City’s Visitor Reception Center June 7, 2016. The scouts were attending the Gulf Coast Council’s local Spanish Scout Reservation obtaining their SCUBA merit badges and took the opportunity to visit the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division for a windshield tour. Standing from left to right are: Andrew Carlan, Sean Power, Will Power, Ryan Matthewson, Noah Mixon, Hilda Rivera, Joel Rivera and Scout Master and Air Force Major James Esenwein. U.S. Navy Photo by Dan Broadstreet (RELEASED) 160701-N-CM547-001.
Dan Broadstreet
Public Affairs Specialists Jacqui Barker and Katherine Mapp
Coastal Compass is published monthly by NSWC PCD and is an authorized medium for news of general interest about employees of NSWC PCD and their work. Contents of Coastal Compass are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the Department of Defense or Department of the Navy. Coastal Compass’ content is provided and prepared by the NSWC PCD Office of Corporate Communications. For details about submissions, contact NSWC PCD Corporate Communication Editor Dan Broadstreet at (850) 235-5990. PANAMA CITY, Florida - SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Technician Sean McCready explains the mission purpose of the SDV to visiting Boy Scout troops June 7, 2016 at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division’s Special Operations Facility. U.S. Navy Photo by Dan Broadstreet (RELEASED) 160701-N-CM547-002.
MUNOZ the same “boat” as you (no pun intended). Each member of the program is experiencing new aspects of the program as it continues to evolve and brings a collective knowledge to the group. I could read about what each organization does, but for me, actually being in the rotations is the true learning experience.
from page 8 Likewise, listening to our senior leaders is a fraction of the experience when you compare it to having the opportunity to work alongside them. This program backs the organizational focus area of “workforce excellence and judiciousness.” It provides the tools to be successful to those who area equal to the challenge.
Coastal Compass - July 2016
To contact NSWC PCD’s Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline, call: (850) 234-4462
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Science Brothers Receive STEM Advocate of the Quarter Award for 2016 WASHINGTON – The “Science Brothers,” based out of Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, received the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Outreach Advocate of the Quarter for third quarter, fiscal year 2016 award June 27, 2016 in Washington D.C. Office of Naval Research’s Director, Education and Workforce Dr. Michael Simpson (far left), Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mary Miller (second left), and Secretary of Defense for Research Deputy Assistant Dr. Melissa Flagg (center right) presented NSWC PCD’s Bill Porter (center) and Dan Flisek with the award. Also present for the ceremony was Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center Rear Adm. Lorin Selby (left, back row), NSWC PCD Science and Technology Department Head (Code X) Dr. Kerry Commander, and NSWC PCD Commanding Officer Capt. Phillip Dawson. U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED) 160627-N-PY526-002.
DoD Announces Value Engineering Achievement Award Recipients Department of Defense Press Operations
WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense (DoD) announced yesterday the recipients of the DoD Value Engineering Achievement Awards. Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering Kristen Baldwin, on behalf of Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Frank Kendall, led the ceremony in the Pentagon auditorium to recognize exemplary value engineering accomplishments. Baldwin presented awards to several military services and defense agencies: Four to the Army, three to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, four to the Navy, one each to the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, five to the Defense Logistics Agency, one to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and three to the Missile Defense Agency. The DoD honored five individuals, eight teams, four projects/programs, and five organizations for their significant fiscal year 2015 value engineering-related efforts that resulted in cost savings or cost avoidances, quality improvements, or
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efficiencies to the DoD. Value engineering was born out of innovative material and design alternatives that resulted from the material shortages of World War II. The DoD uses value engineering to analyze supplies, services, buildings, and systems to achieve best value, or the best relationship between worth and cost consistent with required performance, quality, and safety of essential functions. Value engineering efforts reduce cost, speed delivery, and enhance the performance of the equipment and services provided to our fighting forces. The DoD realized $3.1 billion in cost savings and avoidances in fiscal year 2015 and continues to use value engineering to help programs execute within their resources. Awards presented to U.S. Navy personnel include: Program, Infrared Thermography Inspection Process for Steam Piping Weld Joints; Team, Engineering Cumbersome Work Practices Resolution; Team, Special Warfare and Expeditionary Systems Department, NSWC Crane; and for Special, the Global Deterrence and Defense Department. ♦
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NSWC PCD Stands Up New CSTRS System Depot
MH-60S Seahawk outfitted with Carriage, Stream, Tow and Recovery System (CSTRS) positioned in Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division’s Aviation Unit. U.S. Navy Photo by Katherine Mapp (RELEASED) 160602-N-PD526-002.
By Katherine Mapp and Dan Broadstreet, NSWC PCD Office of Congressional and Public Affairs
PANAMA CITY, Florida – The Joint Services Maintenance Interservice Support Management Office (MISMO) has determined the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) is uniquely positioned to function as a depot for the MH-60S Seahawk Carriage, Stream, Tow and Recovery System (CSTRS). The ultimate goal is to deliver a total of 42 CSTRS kits to the fleet by FY17 with Full Depot Capability required to be available by Oct. 1, 2019, according to NSWC PCD CSTRS depot manager Torger Reppen. “Independent assessments performed by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) indicated NSWC PCD is expertly qualified to transition from acquisition to sustainment,” said Reppen. “This NAVAIR facility on a NAVSEA base, NSWC PCD, makes the CSTRS depot the first of its kind in Panama City.” Assemblies the depot are expected to support include CSTRS subassemblies such as: Base structure assembly, carriage/deploy-
Troy Branham, electrical mechanic technician, tests continuity on a front panel assembly for a Winch Control Assembly (WCA) to determine if electrical connections between the wirings are accurate. U.S. Navy Photo by Katherine Mapp (RELEASED) 160602-N-PD526-001.
Coastal Compass - July 2016
ment kit assembly, automated secondary winch, actuation mechanism guide assembly, sheave system assembly, cable catch assembly, hydraulic winch assembly and a levelwind assembly. In addition, there is a Winch Control Assembly (WCA), which will interface between the operator and winch. “The WCA is an intricate electronic box that is already 100 percent designed and manufactured at NSWC PCD,” Reppen said. “This was certainly a factor in NAVAIR’s decision to send the entire depot work here.” According to Reppen, CSTRS is designed to employ/deploy an Organic Airborne Mine Countermeasures (OAMCM) sensor from an MH-60S helicopter. It is configurable for a deployable Airborne Mine Neutralization System and a non-towed Airborne Laser Mine Detection System. In addition, there is prominent interest from the Department of the Navy to add an unmanned underwater vehicle capability very soon. All these systems are minimizing danger by taking the warfighter out of the minefield, according to Reppen. “Once these systems are fully delivered to the fleet, every three years they will need to come back for an overhaul, which is what establishing this CSTRS depot facility has as its primary focus,” said Reppen. “So, when the system is broken or damaged, the fleet will be able to send it back here to NSWC PCD to be fixed.” Reppen described how NSWC PCD is uniquely staffed and equipped to meet the needs of the fleet, particularly regarding how CSTRS helps facilitate the OAMCM mission requirements. “Because NSWC PCD is the original equipment manufacturer, we have subject matter experts who know best how to provide a complete kit,” said Reppen. “NSWC PCD will be responsible for production contracting, test support, depot maintenance, kit shipment, trouble shooting, data analysis, performance, correction of deficiencies, logistics documentation, baseline system documentation, as well as configuration control of all existing assets.” Although Reppen said becoming a depot for the CSTRS system is rewarding, it is mainly achieved by NSWC PCD’s high-
See DEPOT, page 12
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Q and A with Dr. David Burnett on Computational Acoustics r. David S. Burnett is the Navy’s senior technologist for computational mechanics (CM), computational structural acoustics (CSA) and finite element analysis (FEA). CM involves mathematical modeling of natural phenomena using modern computational methods and devices; it includes many fields of science and technology, such as acoustics, elasticity, fluid dynamics, electromagnetism, heat transfer, plasma physics and many more. CSA is one of the CM fields, involving simulating and predicting the radiation and scattering of acoustic waves from structures, for example, submarines, mines, schools of fish, undersea cables, etc. FEA is a modern branch of applied mathematics that uses an extension of classical calculus to produce analytical/numerical solutions to realistic (hence complicated) problems in calculus. Dr. Burnett has been applying these disciplines at NSWC PCD to the littoral warfare mission area of mine countermeasures (MCM) and historically throughout his career to antisubmarine warfare (ASW).
D
Background and Achievements: work became known more and more nationally and He holds 25 U.S. and international patents in the internationally through his books, scientific papers, fields of computational acoustics and electromagnepatents, teaching, journal editing, several hundred tism and is the author of three books on FEA and presentations at conferences/workshops/briefings CSA. He is an editor for two scientific journals: the and many international invited plenary and keynote Journal of Computational Acoustics and the Journal talks. Today, at NSWC PCD, he is excitedly creatof the Acoustical Society of America. ing what he claims will be another transformative In the 1960s Dr. Burnett received Bachelor of technology in computational acoustics, with extenEngineering Physics and Master of Engineering desion to electromagnetism and possibly other wave grees from Cornell University, an MS in Engineerphenomena. ing Science from the Calif. Inst. of Technology and When did you realize you wanted to be a scia PhD in Theoretical Mechanics from the Univ. of entist? Calif., Berkeley. Considering that my entire professional career, He worked almost three decades at Bell Labs 53 years, has been devoted to computational meDr. David S. Burnett (formerly Bell Telephone Laboratories, the R&D divichanics, it may seem paradoxical that I consider mysion of AT&T), primarily in undersea R&D for ASW applications self fortunate to have been born in the 1930s, long before the comfor the Navy, specializing in acoustics and structural vibration. In puter era. This enabled me during my formative years and most of the 1980s and 1990s he was a group technical leader for the devel- my formal education years to focus almost exclusively on concepts opment of 3-D structural acoustics FEA computer simulation sys- rather than computation. I had time to nurture a love of books and tems for ASW applications. He also developed and taught several reading and thinking about things and developing a joy in always courses in the Bell Labs in-hours continuing education program wondering why things work as they do and are as they are. Two in FEA. In 1983 Dr. Burnett received the title of Distinguished to three decades of that type of experience laid a solid foundation Member of Technical Staff and in 1996 the title of Fellow, Bell for the subsequent computer era part of my career. Thus, there was Labs’ highest honor. never a point where I “wanted to be a scientist”. Rather, I was He retired from Bell Labs in 1998 to begin a new chapter in always hungry to try to understand everything I could about the his career: Principal Scientist for NATO’s Supreme Allied Com- world, not just physical things but also life itself. Indeed, in 1972 mand Atlantic at the Undersea Research Center in La Spezia, Italy, I founded and chaired a philosophy club for thirteen years. Those where he was a project leader for MCM, developing 3-D structural endeavors deeply and synergistically complemented my scientific acoustics FEA computer simulation systems for modeling scatter- work – not surprising, considering that, historically, science used ing from undersea mines. He retired from NATO in 2004 (man- to be called “natural philosophy.” datory in Italy at age 65) to begin the next chapter in his career: What inspired you to pursue your particular field? senior acoustics scientist at NSWC PCD, where he is continuing Let me give both a positive and a negative answer to this queshis MCM work begun in Italy. tion, that is, what inspired me to pursue certain fields and not purHis scientific career has spanned almost the entire Cold War, sue other fields. plus another couple decades since then, including even a brief See pages 13 — 15 chat with Eleanor Roosevelt in 1954. As his career evolved, his
DEPOT performance engineering that earned their notoriety as CSTRS subject matter experts. “Over the years, the MH-60S team has had a large number of top-notch leadership and engineering talent. And I find that talent everywhere I go at NSWC PCD. Our job isn’t just showing
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from page 11 up, and doing engineering well. Our job is to give something to the warfighter they can rely on,” added Reppen. “It’s that kind of feedback from the fleet that motivates our engineers. It’s knowing we’re doing our part to keep the warfighters out of danger.” ♦
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My 10 years in university were balanced between classical and modern physics, but after the Masters degrees I decided my intuition would be stronger with classical, since all 5 of my senses interact directly with things at the human scale, rather than at the atomic or cosmological scale. I understood both regimes well but I wanted to accomplish more in my career than just do competent work with existing technology; I wanted to push the state-of-theart in everything I worked on. For that, I needed to be able to have a “sixth sense” – intuition – for unorthodox approaches that might improve traditional ways of thinking. In retrospect, this turned out to be an excellent decision as I’ve been able to develop several transformative technologies for the Navy over the years in applications of classical field theories (described below). I doubt that would have happened working in modern physics, with which I have too many fundamental disagreements. For example, because of the conundrum of causality, I’m guessing that quantum mechanics will be viewed generations from now as primarily an engineering discipline that is useful for very accurate predictions at the atomic scale and above but cannot reveal any deterministic physics at a much deeper level. (Analogically, compare predicting the roll of a pair of dice using probability theory; that’s much easier than computing the underlying deterministic physics.) On the cosmological scale, the arguments that claim a “Big Bang” was “proven” by the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation (by Penzias and Wilson, at Bell Labs) appear to all use the same incorrect hypothetical logic (even on the old Bell Labs website); that is, they fail to “reverse and negate,” so the existence of a Big Bang is not a logically necessary conclusion. I’m glad I never had to do research on phenomena “caused” by a “Big Bang!” In summary, I suspect that working in a field where (1) you love what you do and (2) your intuition is strong, may be a prescription for an enjoyable, creative and successful career! What scientific accomplishment are you most proud of (not classified!)? Most of my work over the years has involved not just solving the engineering problems presented to me but going beyond those problems and creating new techniques for solving similar types of problems, i.e., creating general tools for other engineers and scientists to use on their problems. Indeed, many colleagues over the years have described me as a “tool maker.” Thus, I’m proud of the fact that most of my work has yielded new techniques that other people around the world have used for their work. This, of course, is achieved by publishing a lot; in fact, several of my published technologies have been incorporated into commercial FEA software systems. By working at the fundamental level of mathematical physics, I have addressed problems in several different fields. For example, the first four papers I ever published were in analytical chemistry, theoretical acoustics, applied mathematics and oceanic engineering and my FEA book was the first to demonstrate using FEA to solve a problem in quantum mechanics. Let me mention three highlights of my career I am most proud of: 1. In 1987, I wrote and published my first book, “Finite Element Analysis: From Concepts to Applications,” Addison-Wesley, 844 pages. It has been extremely successful, having become a “classic” for its graduate level genre – over 10,000 copies sold and still very popular (see Amazon rating) – and has earned an extraordinary number of accolades over the years. One of
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those, from an IEEE book review editor, said “Hands down the best written intro book on the FEA … and one of the best books, on any subject matter, that I have ever seen”. And one other I’ll always remember, a brief note I received from a Japanese researcher saying “Thank you. Your book has changed my career and my life.” I subsequently wrote and published a 230-page book of FEA homework problems (Addison-Wesley), and in the 1990s I wrote a 200-page manual on computational structural acoustics (DARPA/Bell Labs). 2. In the early 1990s I developed a radically new theoretical framework for modeling the scattering and radiation of sound from structures (submarines then; mines later on). It was a socalled “infinite element,” which captured all of the physics in a sector of space from the structure to infinity. It speeded up computations for small-to-medium size problems relative to the contemporaneous state-of-the-art by over 400 times, for exactly the same 3-D physics and to the same accuracy. As problems grew computationally larger (e.g., higher frequencies) the speedup increased indefinitely – potentially thousands to millions. This was a very transformative technology, hailed by leaders in industry and academia as “revolutionary” and many said it would change the direction of acoustics and other fields involving wave propagation.Then a strange thing happened: my company, Bell Labs, patented it and licensed it to computational mechanics software firms in France and Belgium. That was nice for Bell Labs but it “killed” the revolution, relegating it to a historical curiosity that no one could touch. Well, it looks like the story is going to have a happy ending. During the next 20 years the elements became known in the field as “Burnett infinite elements.” Now, 20 years later, the patents have started expiring and I have just discovered a novel way to use that technology to achieve a speedup factor for a different part of these analyses that will probably be in the thousand to million range. Colleagues in Europe, knowing of these developments, have said that it looks like the revolution will now finally happen. This is certainly a very unusual story, involving not just earning patents but continuing to work professionally throughout the entire life of the patents, then jumping right back in and continuing the original revolution! 3. The above textbook and infinite element innovation are specific technical accomplishments, but I am most proud of an award I received that recognizes not only those two accomplishments but many more. In 1996 I became a Fellow of Bell Labs, the highest award they ever bestowed. It was awarded annually to 12 out of 11,000 scientists (8000 PhDs, 3000 MSs) in a year-long, company-wide competition. Coming as it usually did near the end of one’s career, it was tantamount to a lifetime achievement award and was often informally (and, yes, pompously!) called a “mini-Nobel” (Bell Labs Fellows have included several Nobel Laureates), with a Stockholm-like black-tie banquet with live chamber music and ice sculptures, attendance by some of Bell Labs’ Nobel Laureates (Arno Penzias, of Big Bang fame, gave me a memorable gift for the occasion – how ironical, given my comments above), and a monetary award that helped pay off the mortgage. How has working at NSWC impacted your career, e.g., benefits and opportunities unique to NSWC?
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I have been at NSWC PCD only about a decade, just a small part of my 53-year professional career, so the impact of NSWC PCD has been relatively small. As clear from this article, most of my career was at Bell Labs (aka Bell Telephone Laboratories). It was, arguably, the most famous research laboratory in America. (The Chinese government, in the early 1980s, when the Bell System was facing Divestiture by the Federal government, said the crown jewels of American science were Bell Labs, Caltech and Los Alamos.) Bell Labs was often referred to as “The Idea Factory”, earning, on average, five patents a day. It boasted 12 Nobel Laureates; intellectual passion was everywhere. It was an extraordinary and exhilarating environment. I was very fortunate to have had such a wonderful experience. I had always expected to spend my entire career at Bell Labs. However, after the Bell System Divestiture in 1984 (mandated by the Federal government) and then self-divestiture into Lucent Technologies and AT&T Labs in 1996, combined with my Fellow award also in 1996, the future did not look bright for this icon of American science or for my career. It was time to retire from Bell Labs and start a new adventure, hence the move to NATO in Italy. My purpose in coming to NSWC PCD in 2004, after retirement from NATO, was to continue developing the MCM technology for the Navy’s littoral MCM mission, and, indirectly, make the same technology available for the ASW mission. How does your work impact the Navy’s mission? During the 1970s and 1980s I was privileged to have been able to work on many engineering projects for the Navy’s SOund SUrveillance System (SOSUS), which was one of the major Cold War U.S. defense systems. This was the multibillion-dollar system that leveraged AT&T’s transatlantic cable laying technology and involved over a thousand scientists and engineers at Bell Labs. It consisted of underwater arrays of hydrophones mounted inside cables that were installed on the ocean floor, at depths corresponding to the SOFAR channel, over much of the Northern hemisphere. It was a passive acoustic system used to detect, classify and track Soviet submarines. SOSUS was designed by Bell Labs and built by Western Electric, which were the research and manufacturing arms, respectively, of AT&T. I worked primarily in the hydrophone and cable development areas, which is what nurtured my theoretical skills in structural acoustics. At the same time, I was learning the emerging field of FEA, which enabled me to develop my numerical skills in CSA. I developed and used FEA computer models to understand structural acoustic aspects of the hydrophones and cables as well as the structural dynamics of the cables during installation from cable laying ships. A memorable part of those efforts was when those computer models revealed a surprising, counter-intuitive dynamic effect on the cables due to the crushing hydrostatic pressures at great depths. Scientists elsewhere in Bell Labs working on the nascent fiber optic technology for AT&T’s transatlantic cables validated the effect in at-sea experiments and hailed the discovery as a key contribution to their technology. This is an example of what makes science fascinating: when a negative result is initially disappointing but, upon further examination, is seen as revealing knowledge that is beneficial elsewhere. There was one downside, though: AT&T prevented my publishing it for a decade in order to preserve a competitive advantage over the Japanese in undersea cable technology.
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After all the excitement and challenges of SOSUS, I was fortunate once again to be able to work on an even more fascinating country-wide, multi-organization DARPA project which, ipso facto, cannot be talked about here. Those years were perhaps my most creative and productive ones, which led to all the patents. Many of my old friends still refer to the intellectual excitement of those years as “Camelot,” when discoveries seemed to happen almost non-stop. A special personal memory was when Freeman Dyson attended one of my lectures. Dyson is well known for consolidating the work of Feynman, Gell-Mann and Tomonaga that had led to their Nobel prizes for quantum electrodynamics. Dyson complimented my innovative research and invited me to visit him at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton to discuss my work on symmetries, anti-symmetries and infinite elements, the latter piquing his interest for cosmological applications. I have continued to use much of that technology since then and recently began expanding it for current MCM applications (see below). As noted above, after retiring from Bell Labs in 1998, I moved to Italy to work for NATO as a Principal Scientist for the Supreme Allied Command Atlantic at their undersea research facility in La Spezia, then returned to the U.S. to take up my current position at NSWC PCD. At NSWC PCD I have developed for the Navy, with help from colleagues (“It takes a village” to develop these types of mathematically complex computer modeling systems), a very highfidelity, high-speed, high-reliability computer simulation system for computing the “acoustic color” of undersea targets, which is the target strength over broad bands of frequency and broad ranges of aspect angle (usually 360°) of interrogating sonar systems. The frequencies of acoustic color are chosen low enough so that elastic waves in the solid materials inside a target, induced by the impinging acoustic waves on the outside, can propagate with negligible attenuation throughout the interior of the targets. As a result, the scattered field is determined not just by the external shape of the target but also by its internal composition. Signal processing of that scattered field can then shed light on the “inverse” problem: What was inside the target that produced that scattered field? This can help discriminate decoys from the real thing, aka “false targets.” NSWC PCD’s acoustic color system, PC-ACOLOR, has been repeatedly validated against many experiments. Since the patents for the above-described DARPA technology are now expiring, that technology has been recently resurrected and applied to PC-ACOLOR, which has increased its speed over a thousand times, for the same physics to the same accuracy. This will be a transformative technology. The goal is to be able to run thousands of these high-fidelity 3-D simulations within about one day, in order to produce in a reasonable time a statistically robust data base of thousands of possible targets and their environments at vastly less cost than performing expensive at-sea experiments on many different targets and environments, including targets and environments that aren’t accessible or don’t even exist. What do you like to do when you are not working? Not working? But I’ve never “worked”! The aphorism “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” certainly applies to my career. And I would agree with the sentiment a colleague once expressed to me at Bell Labs while we were working on a fascinating math problem, “Dave, sometimes I can’t believe
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they pay me to do this.” Since a lot of my “work” is done in my head, it can be done anywhere and often is, not just in the office – something the timecard system fails to recognize. In any case, here are some activities that complement all the intellectual pleasures “at work.” Music has been a source of considerable pleasure throughout my life. I began piano studies at eight-years-old (lots of recitals) and studied violin (more recitals) and accordion and played trumpet in my high school orchestra and was a bugler (Reveille, To the Colors, Mess Call, Taps) at a summer camp. But piano has always been my first love. I was trained classically as a child and in 8th grade played Chopin’s Polonaise in A (the “Military” polonaise – how apropos for my future military career!) with an orchestra. After adding some Liszt and Rachmaninov to my repertoire, I flirted with the idea of a performing career. Fortunately, I opted for a career in science instead, thereby avoiding the “starving artist” syndrome. This enabled me to enjoy the best of both worlds: science for an intellectually challenging and comfortable living and music as its emotional reward. Both came together synergistically at Bell Labs, where I complemented the scientific excitement with being the piano accompanist for the company chorus (lunch time rehearsals) for many years. Today, I love playing classical (primarily the Romantic pianists Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninov), ragtime and popular music on my beautiful 1894 Steinway Concert Grand at home. I’ve also been an intense body builder since the 1970s, trained by Mr. Universe Bill Pearl for a couple years circa 1980. I still lift twice a week and do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) another couple days a week on my 4-minute Range-of-Motion machine at home. The latter provides cardio benefits that replace running (lots of 10Ks over the years) but the latter is not so comfortable in my late 70s. Philosophy has also been a significant avocation most of my adult life. In 1972 I founded and chaired a philosophy club for thirteen years at Bell Labs. Although problems of interest were generally in ethics, politics or sociology, inquiries almost always ended up eventually in the basic areas of metaphysics (What exists?), epistemology (How do I know it?) and ethics (So what?). Interestingly, one of the club’s members developed a new branch of mathematics (pattern algebra) based on our rigorous work in epistemology. My wife and I are planning some trips, but traveling is no longer a novelty, as we did a lot of that throughout Europe during our six years in Italy while “working” for NATO. I also lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the 1950s. Looking to the future, what do you see for your career and for S&T in the Navy? As for my career, I continue to love what I do and I still have a lot more to contribute to the Navy and to the worldwide computational mechanics community. My R&D at NSWC PCD is on the cusp of producing yet another transformative technology for MCM and ASW. I have more ideas in my head waiting to get out, including possible solutions to some long-standing problems, and two more books to write. As for S&T in the Navy, there is something big brewing in the computational mechanics world: A nascent technology called Isogeometric Analysis (IGA). Just as FEA produced a revolution in applied mathematics in the 20th century by generalizing and ex-
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tending classical calculus, IGA is now generalizing and extending FEA by merging the fields of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and FEA – by borrowing from CAD the mathematics for exactly representing geometry and using it for both the geometry and analysis mathematics in FEA. The figure below immodestly symbolizes the importance of this marriage by adding a couple labels to Michelangelo’s fresco of The Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. (See similar figure in “Isogeometric Analysis,” by Cottrell, et. al., Wiley, 2009.) This is a “marriage” that is mathematically elegant and brings
Figure: Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam” on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
many major improvements to FEA. I have no doubt IGA will be the next revolution in computational mechanics in the 21st century. I see it as gradually and eventually replacing FEA. The foundation of this revolution is geometry, which some would say is the oldest and “purest” scientific discipline, having evolved from the ancient Greeks to the modern discipline of computational geometry. One is reminded of the legendary inscription over the door to Plato’s Academy in Athens: “Let no man ignorant of geometry enter here.” My goal is to contribute to this revolution in my remaining years, by helping to transition CSA from the finite element analysis FEA world to the IGA world. That will produce a truly transformative technology for the Navy, combining unprecedented high fidelity with very high computational efficiency. I wish I had another 53-year career to enjoy this exciting revolution! Lacking that, I would recommend to younger scientists working in any of the many fields of computational mechanics that they try to stay abreast of the IGA revolution so they can spot opportunities to apply it to relevant Navy programs. ♦
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