NPS Associate Professor Dr. Di Zhang led a team of NPS students to create and successfully test a circuit breaker that could support large electric platforms running on direct current electricity – a breakthrough in the future development of electric aircraft propulsion.
Dr. Robert Mortlock, Professor of the Practice and Associate Chair, Defense Acquisition and Program Management, has continued his appointment as an Editorial Review Board Member on the Acquisition Research Journal.
The Center for Infrastructure Defense project, “Critical Infrastructure Resilience Collaboration and Assessment” (CIRCA) was highlighted across multiple NPS and U.S. Navy media channels and was featured in the KITV-Hawaii documentary, “Kuleana: Disaster Prep,” aired to the general public throughout the hurricane season.
Dr. Rene Rendon, Associate Professor, Acquisition Management, has been reappointed as the Senior Editor of the Journal of Contract Management.
Dr. Anthony Mustafa Canan, Associate Professor, Information Sciences, is the NPS Academic Year 2023 Richard W. Hamming Teaching Award winner. To earn the honor, Dr. Canan excelled in all three criteria – outstanding teaching, excellence in thesis supervision, and strength of contribution to NPS students beyond the classroom.
Dr. Daniel Eisenberg, Research Assistant Professor, Operations Research, was presented with the 2023 MORS Wayne P. Hughes Award at the 91st MORS Symposium. The award recognizes Dr. Eisenberg’s outstanding work and his significant impact as the newly appointed Director of the Center for Infrastructure Defense.
Cmdr. Brian Curran, who graduated from NPS in September with a Ph.D. in Applied Physics, was also presented with the Navy Commendation Medal for his efforts in serving as the first Executive Director of NPS' Meyer Scholar Program. Read more about his achievements...
Dr. Anthony Mustafa Canan
Dr. Joshua Kroll
Dr. Joshua Kroll, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, received a grant of $760,000 for using Systems-Theoretic Process Analytics to develop test plans for AI systems that account for their operational context, and to conduct a study of the capabilities/limitations of standard AI performance evaluation approaches.
The Crew Endurance Team was awarded $300,000 in FY24 research funding from the Military Operational Medicine Research Program to conduct a longitudinal assessment of fatigue and readiness of Surface Warfare Officers, and $1,000,000 in research funding from the Defense Suicide Prevention Office to explore the effects of sleep and fatigue on mental health.
NPS Associate Professor Dr. Di Zhang received a $750,000 grant from NASA to continue his research into circuit breakers to support electric aircraft propulsion, with a goal to refine the weight and performance of his research team’s initial breaker design.
Dr. Kai Gemba, Associate Professor, Physics, received $450,000 in Office of Naval Research funding to support Pacific-and-Arctic-basin-scale tomography research.
Dr. Nita Shattuck, Professor, Operations Research, gave research talks at the Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport, Rhode Island, and a keynote address at the Warfighter Resiliency Summit in Suffolk, Virginia.
Kristen Fletcher, Faculty Research Associate, Energy Academic Group, gave an invited talk at the NATO Civil-Military Cooperation in the Maritime Domain seminar that included findings from a NAVSEA-supported project, “Climate Change Impacts on Navy and Marine Corps Operations” and updates on the “Pathways to Net Zero Emissions” project.
Dr. Frank Narducci, Professor of Physics, gave a lecture on “Novel Atom Sensors” to attendees at the Princeton-Texas A&M University Summer School on Quantum Physics, raising the visibility of the work he and his students are doing in the field.
Financial Management Directorate Team Launches New Financial System
Thanks to the efforts of the Financial Management Directorate team, NPS transitioned to its third financial system in four fiscal years, launching the Navy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system on October 1!
Prepping for Complex Computer Models
Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and researchers in Applied Math are supporting the Department of Energy’s Exascale Computing Project (ECP), designed to prepare high-performance computing processes to take advantage of next generation computing capabilities for complex atmospheric models. See the section on Multiscale Efficiency.
Weather and Climate Experiment Completed
The first phase of the Moisture and Aerosol Gradients/Physics of Inversion Evolution (MAGPIE) 18-month Weather and Climate Experiment was recently completed. Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, the joint effort between scientists and researchers from NPS, government agencies and other universities involves studying the exchange processes of heat, moisture, African dust and sea spray between the atmosphere and ocean over the subtropical Atlantic Ocean.
MOLA CubeSat Launch
Space Systems Academic Group (SSAG) will launch their next CubeSat, called MOLA, on a rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia later this fall. It was successfully integrated into its flight dispenser in July. The Mobile CubeSat Command and Control team added a ground station at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, which will be used to communicate with NPS and other agencies’ CubeSats.
MILESTONES AND LEGACIES
CHDS Director Glen Woodbury Retires
Glen Woodbury, NPS Distinguished Alumnus, Director of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) and a Professor of the Practice, retired on August 31 after more than 25 years of federal service. Woodbury served in the U.S. Army as a communications officer from 1985 until he began his emergency management career via his appointment by the Adjutant General and the Governor of Washington. In his 16 years as director, Woodbury led CHDS to become #1 in the Homeland/National Security and Emergency Management rankings in U.S. News and World Reports, implemented various programs and partnerships related to emergency preparedness, response and security, and established regional alumni chapters for problem-solving and information sharing.
CALL TO ACTION!
NPS is halfway through the 2024 appraisal cycle and progress reviews. Step-by-step instructions on how to complete the evaluations are in the MyPerformance User Guide (Employees: pgs. 9– 10; Rating Officials: pgs. 20–21).
Software Upgrade Note
Until further notice, please decline upgrade notifications on government-furnished Macs for the new macOS operating system, Sonoma, due to compatibility issues with certain software. Contact email@example.com for questions.
WHO’S WHO…WHO’S NEW
Dr. Cynthia Irvine
As the NPS Chair for the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), Dr. Cynthia Irvine will assist in developing and evaluating near-term emerging technologies toward prototyping and experimentation. The NPS SCO Chair was established through an MOA signed in early 2023.
Keith Hirschman, Professor of the Practice, Defense Management, has had an extensive career in leading all phases related to advanced capabilities for U.S. and allied combat systems; developing strategic objectives for unmanned aircraft systems, and demonstrating success in leading multi-disciplined teams in resolving technical problems and adopting cost-effective and innovative solutions.
Lt. Col. Charles Rowan
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles Rowan, an NPS Ph.D. graduate, is now the interim Director of the Modeling Virtual Environments and Simulation (MOVES) Institute, replacing Dr. Imre Balogh, Research Associate Professor, who has held the position since August 2014.
Dr. David Dow
Dr. David Dow, Assistant Professor, National Security Affairs, has been recognized in leading scholarly journals for his research on policing in the developing world, migration and the factors shaping the reintegration of deportees. He is currently examining how post-conflict countries mange the reconstruction process to simultaneously consolidate political support and minimize threats from new insurgencies.
Dr. Christopher McClernon
Dr. Christopher McClernon, Associate Research Professor, Operations Research, specializes in Human Factors Engineering, including sleep, fatigue and human performance. He is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel with 25 years of experience as a behavioral scientist, developmental engineer, a science and technology leader, and as a supervisor overseeing 100 personnel and $40 million of annual research at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Cmdr. Andrew Ceniseroz
An NPS alumnus from the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Andrew Ceniseroz returns to NPS as the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Chair, responsible for integrating NPS with NSW warfighters to meet the needs of the Navy and the joint special operations force. Ceniseroz has served in East and West Coast SEAL teams and most recently served at U.S. Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT).
Rojelio “Roy” Villegas
Mr. Rojelio “Roy” Villegas, Deputy Director of Protocol, formerly served as the Deputy Chief of Diplomatic Missions at Joint Base Andrews and Chief of Protocol for the 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg Space Force Base. In his role at NPS, Villegas will coordinate all travel plans and requirements and manage all visits for government officials and distinguished visitors.
Dr. Christopher Paul
Dr. Christopher Paul is NPS’ inaugural Lt. Col. Kevin M. Shea USMC Chair for Information, established by Deputy Commandant for Information (DCI) at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. Paul joins NPS from the RAND Corporation, where he worked for more than 20 years as a senior social scientist specializing in information warfare and policy analysis.
On September 14, the Naval War College (NWC) at NPS Summer 2023 graduation ceremony was held, honoring graduates’ completion of the NWC Command and Staff/JPME Phase I program.
NPS and U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) celebrated the establishment of “NPS Hawaii,” a branch campus and academic center at Pearl Harbor designed to serve the operational needs of the fleet through professional development and continuous learning programs.
Opportunities and Support
The Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Leadership, Faculty Development, recently joined the National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD) 450-university network which provides on-demand learning, organizes interest-based, professional communities, facilitates mentoring, and supports career development and networking for faculty/staff/students across the different stages of their careers. To learn more, explore the NCFDD website. Faculty, students and staff: to join, click on the link and follow the steps to create and activate your account. For help, contact Ali Rodgers, Director Faculty Development, at firstname.lastname@example.org.
At the request of the Naval Special Warfare Command, Dr. Wayne Porter, Director of the Littoral Operations Center, Senior Lecturer in Defense Analysis and CORE Lab Executive Director, is providing systems dynamics modeling to support future small craft selections.
MOVES and Pytho AI are preparing modern warfighters to supercharge productivity through live, virtual and constructive training events in accelerated timeframes, AI research at the tactical edge and wargaming systems support. MOVES is also collaborating with Kestrel Technology Group to research best practices for testing and evaluating Kestrel’s hardware and software.
Seminars, Speaker Series and Workshops
The Energy Academic Group hosted three seminars: “Active Fault Management for Enhancing Microgrid Resilience,” by Dr. Peng Zhang from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia; “Energy Security at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy,” led by Mr. Antonio Piluso from the University of Catania, Italy; and "Optimized Planning and Operations of Integrated Community Energy Systems: Introducing the Dynamic Monitoring and Decision Systems Framework,” presented by Dr. Guy Warner, founder of Pareto Energy.
At its monthly speaker series, the Department of Defense Management hosted Mr. John Pyrovolakis, who talked about the importance and challenges of investing in defense and the critical relationship between private capital investment and defense capability.
The Human Resources Office hosted a live webinar in mid-September on “Managing Strong Emotions,” sponsored by the Department of Navy Civilian Assistance Program (DONCEAP).
Café Del Monte
The new Café Del Monte located near the Dudley Knox Library is open!
Hours are: 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM; Closed on federal holidays.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) on Oct. 5 to participate in a Secretary of the Navy Guest Lecture (SGL). Rice also met with NPS senior leaders and Defense Analysis students, as well as the first cohort of students participating in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions (HBCU/MSI) Scholarship-for-Service (S4S) program.
The latest NPS Warfare Innovation Continuum (WIC) Workshop, held Sept. 18-21, brought together NPS faculty and students with partners from industry, Navy laboratories, and the fleet to explore operational concepts based on this year’s theme, “Integrated Naval Campaigning.” Panels and sessions focused on how emerging technologies provide opportunities for new operational concepts in executing naval campaigning. More than 180 participants and observers took part in the workshop, either at NPS or remotely.
NPS celebrated its Summer Quarter graduates during a commencement ceremony on Sept. 22. U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Roberta L. Shea, Legislative Assistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, served as the keynote speaker for the 210 Summer Quarter graduates, including 10 international students from 10 countries, and delivered a message emphasizing the power of collaboration and adapting to the inevitable flux of change.
NPS Honors New Chief Petty Officers
On Friday, Sept. 29, seven of the Navy’s newest Chief Petty Officers, including YNC Shawn Dioszeghy of NPS, proudly received their anchors before friends and family in a pinning ceremony at King Auditorium. The new Chiefs, as well as a U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who participated in the ceremony, represented NPS and other commands throughout the Monterey Peninsula. Bravo Zulu!
NATO Modeling and Simulation Conference Technology Day Oct. 18
Joint Interagency Field Experimentation (JIFX) 24-1, “Operations at the Edge”
Directed Energy Systems Symposium
November Provost Lecture Series – Crew Endurance: Dr. Nita Shattuck
Secretary of the Navy Guest Lecture: The Honorable Michele Flournoy, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy