Review of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Draft Memorandum: NAVSEA's 21st Century Engagement, Education, and Technology Initiative (2008)

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Surface Warfare Center’s (NSWC’s) Star Program, and NUWC’s Mathematics and Science Educational Outreach Plan. • Engagement with industry, not for profit organizations, and other agencies both in and out of DOD. VI. NAVSEA’s 21st Century Engagement, Education and Technology Initiative Overview - A Phased Approach NAVSEA’s initiative will develop three phases: “plant,” “nurture”, and “produce” as depicted in Figure 1. The first will “plant” the seeds for success by early engagement with tomorrow’s potential STEM professionals through better coordination of existing initiatives. It will focus on establishing a physical and virtual NAVSEA environment that brings together students, educators, NAVSEA professionals, university and school laboratories, as well as NAVSEA infrastructure in a combination of processes and activities to foster interest in the Navy and NAVSEA related work. Second is to “nurture” the seed by developing activities to sustain the relationships with potential candidates and academic organizations and other stakeholders who develop the STEM workforce. This will be done using an iterative process that is fueled by outreach and engagement activities, research initiatives, and incentive programs such as science fair participation and scholarships. These activities will build up relationships with educators and increase motivation as future STEM professionals see the value and reward that NAVSEA and the Naval Enterprise offer. Third is to “produce” the STEM professionals and attract them to NAVSEA’s workforce. This will result from the phased activities over the 10 year spectrum in which trust and strong relationships are built. 9 

21st Century Engagement, Education, and Technology Initiative: Middle School to Postgraduate Interactions • Scholarships • Outreach • Engagement • NAVLAB • Carrier, Ship, Sub Camp (CSSC) • Advancing Minority Interest in Engineering/ Timbuktu Academy • Educated Community • Empowered R&D and Education System • Capable Workforce Figure 1. NAVSEA’s 21st Century Engagement, Education, and Technology Initiative Linking these activities to the recommendations provided in the NAS Storm Report offers an excellent opportunity to realize an economy of scale, cost, and value in 10 

developing a diverse STEM workforce, using NAVSEA as a prototype that the Naval Enterprise can adapt and implement as it matures. Goals and Objectives NAVSEA’s goals are straightforward and are supported by specific objectives: • Create and sustain initiatives to generate STEM interest and capability in youth and Academic institutions. o Establish “camps” to regularly engage students and educators in NAVSEA areas of interest. o Sponsor middle school to college level contests and activities with STEM focus. o Expand the NAVSEA potential to fund R&D at Advancing Minority Interest in Engineering (AMIE)34 institutions to $500M over the next 10 years.35 o NAVSEA co-sponsor or fund 80 undergraduate scholarships over the next 10 years to promising high school students who are encouraged to work in research areas of interest to NAVSEA. o NAVSEA co-sponsor or fund 80 graduate fellowships over the next 10 years to promising undergraduate students who are encouraged to work in research areas of interest to NAVSEA. • Create partnerships that lead to new academic and industrial development, which will broaden the base for all STEM activity. o Establish NAVSEA research capabilities and facilities on HBCU campuses. o Establish partnerships with University Research Facilities for NAVSEA employees to leverage non-DOD sponsored activities using AMIE. o Initiate research projects relevant to NAVSEA 34 All HBCUs in AMIE are schools with accredited Engineering programs 35The AMIE coalition is described in Appendix B. 11 

• Attract and retain the broader more capable STEM workforce within NAVSEA and the Navy. o Utilize NAVSEA existing Warfare Center laboratory structure and sponsor 1 to 2 year visiting professor research/ teaching fellowships at NAVSEA’s labs. o Leverage university level graduate courses to provide opportunity for NAVSEA employees to study in emerging technical areas to refresh and update their skills. o Participate in campus job fairs and science demonstrations to promote the importance and opportunity within the Navy and NAVSEA enterprise. NAVSEA’s Initiative Components NAVSEA’s initiative introduces physical and virtual environments as well as activities and processes as the foundation for success. The initiative is actually a combination of existing, emergent, and new initiatives/activities to bring together students, teachers, researchers, industry, and NAVSEA employees. It establishes processes and linkages that generate opportunities for immersion by students and faculty in NAVSEA Research and Development and applied engineering. Specifically, components of NAVSEA’s initiative will include: • Outreach by leadership and others to community, university, education, and other organizations to build awareness of NAVSEA opportunities and gain insights into challenges facing the STEM community; • Engagement with key partners in academia and industry to plant the seeds upon which success will depend; • A Carrier, Ship, and Submarine Camp (CSSC); • A NAVLAB to develop research facilities and support basic and applied research activities in NAVSEA and other (e.g., industry, academic, not for profit, other government agency) environments; and • Improved facilities, opportunities for self-directed research, and internal information exchange via collaborative environments. Each is described below. 12 

Outreach Outreach activities will focus on building relationships with communities and civic organizations where NAVSEA facilities are located. The objective is to gain insights and recommendations into how best to communicate STEM as stimulating fields in which students can have fun now and grow into professionally and academically. Opportunities include middle school, high school, and college campus visits by NAVSEA leadership and other employees. Outreach includes information booths and prize sponsorship for achievements in STEM areas. Additionally, outreach will engage community service groups that sponsor extracurricular, recreational, and after school activities. Other efforts will explore opportunities with professional and industry organizations at conferences and symposia to determine and leverage scholarship and other incentive programs to meet NAVSEA initiative’s goals. While outreach activities will include NAVSEA leadership visits, they will also offer opportunity for interested NAVSEA employees to network and support these non-DOD sponsored programs. Finally, outreach will include developing descriptive materials on the NAVSEA initiative and disseminating them through the activities listed above as well as the media, as feasible. Engagement NAVSEA proposes to meet the need for STEM professionals while implementing the NAS Storm Report recommendations and the Navy’s Diversity Strategy by leveraging and expanding upon the initiatives undertaken by HBCUs. These initiatives use a partnering approach that provides a model to focus on the development of tomorrow’s teachers and researchers as well as today’s needed STEM resources. 13 

Two organizations that advocate for HBCUs and increased development of STEM capabilities in the minority community will be partners: the Advancing Minorities Interest in Engineering (AMIE) coalition and The Timbuktu Academy. Both are discussed in Appendix B. Senior NAVSEA leaders and key personnel from partner institutions will attend the annual AMIE annual conference to ensure that meaningful and collaborative relationships grow quickly. Engagement with middle and high schools will include a number of targeted participative activities. For example, NAVSEA could engage with a Junior Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) unit to which it provides resources, tours, lectures, and other support to stimulate interest in STEM fields as a career option. Further activities will include “co-op” employment opportunities to develop job skills in STEM related areas for high school students. Additionally, to the extent feasible, engagement will include sponsorship and partnership in Science Fairs with NAVSEA providing judges and prizes. Further groups to engage with on a regular sponsorship basis include clubs, recreational, and other activities that would provide access to students with potential interest in STEM areas. Carrier, Ship and Sub Camp (CSSC) CSSC will consist of NAVSEA sponsored education camps for middle school to college students and faculty where teachers and students are immersed in stimulating, practical application of STEM concepts to develop technology solutions. It will comprise “Carrier Camp,” “Ship Camp,” and “Sub Camp” to bring students and faculty into NAVSEA activities once a month for information and knowledge exchange, mentoring, and practical activities leveraging the interests of students and faculty to respond to and expand NAVSEA areas of interest. Supported by NAVSEA volunteers as part of “mentoring,” CSSC will allow NAVSEA employees to be paid while participating in these activities. To the extent feasible, CSSC will include specific mapping of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) of interest to the Naval Enterprise to school curricula. This 14 

mapping will allow targeted engagement and generate programs of hands on learning based on common KSAs. CSSC also will include summer events oriented towards products and accomplishments, both by students and faculties. CSSC (possibly sponsored by DOD and other government agencies, industry, and academic institutions) would provide opportunity to tour NAVSEA facilities and other naval environments, e.g., ship tours, aircraft tours, sub tours, gunnery ranges, etc. Additionally, CSSC will include sponsored seminars and research activities for middle school, high school and college faculty (possibly with accredited adult education a goal). It further will hold interactive events combining students, faculty, NAVSEA and operational community members to address cutting edge technology development challenges. The CSSC will also include a “Classroom at the Yard” component which will provide opportunities to link school curriculum with focused visits to NAVSEA facilities to see STEM concepts at work. Additionally, CSSC will leverage and expand apprenticeship activities already in place in NAVSEA. “NAVLAB” NAVLAB will comprise two types of research facilities as well as a number of basic research initiatives. First is a set of NAVSEA labs on partner campuses. The objective is to embed an actual NAVSEA facility in a university environment to foster collaboration and communication while focusing on NAVSEA needs. NAVSEA will establish a lab that is managed and operated by NAVSEA employees, with a NAVSEA director, where students and faculty will participate in research for real Navy programs. These will include laboratory facilities and linkages to NAVSEA resources. Second is a university partner operated, NAVSEA sponsored (leveraging NSF, ONR, DARPA, and similar research sponsors) lab that would offer access by NAVSEA to university research and resources. The objective would be to leverage wide ranging 15 

research that is not focused on NAVSEA’s specific needs, but may provide a catalyst to technological innovation that is relevant. Emphasis would be on tapping into resources normally unavailable to NAVSEA – uncleared researchers that are increasingly the mainstream of the STEM professional workforce. NAVLAB also would seek to stimulate interest in teaching through including current teachers in research activities as well as students that may become interested in STEM teaching through work study partnerships with local industry to build interest in science/engineering firms as summer job environments. It will also support faculty exchange programs, cooperative education, intern programs, and guest lecturers to include emphasis on the Undergraduate Training Assistance Program (UTAP), Undersea Research Scholar Program, and Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP). Additionally, basic research activities will be coordinated through NAVLAB to include Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, contract incentives for HBCU participation, leveraging of other partner resources (e.g., contractor resources – labs, simulators, co-ops, mentoring partnerships), scholarships, fellowships/visiting professors, selected equipment and facility access. Finally, NAVLAB in coordination with the other activities comprising the NAVSEA initiative, will offer incentives including recognition, cash prizes for science fairs, and science and engineering contests such as DARPA’s Grand Challenge Race. Work Environment Quality of work initiatives will focus on making NAVSEA one of the top 10 places to work. NAVSEA’s initiative envisions an approach that introduces physical and virtual environments as well as activities and processes as the foundation for success in attracting, recruiting, and retaining a capable workforce. It establishes processes and linkages that generate opportunities for immersion by employees, students, and faculty in NAVSEA Research and Development and applied engineering. 16