NSWC Crane receives part of $7.7 million grant for Workplace Simulation in local schools

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) was awarded part of a $7.7 million grant from the Skill UP! Indiana Program during the Inaugural Indiana Sectors Summit on October 19-20 to continue its innovative workplace simulation projects in local school districts.

NSWC Crane earned the grant money because of its efforts in developing a business simulation pilot program for Bloomfield Jr./Sr. High School in 2015.

The pilot program included a classroom designed to replicate NSWC’s equipment and décor, providing a realistic simulation of the base where personnel worked with teachers to help kids complete a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) project that is similar in nature to real-world problems that Crane solves on a daily basis.

Commanding Officer Capt. Jeffrey Elder accepted the award on behalf of NSWC Crane, which plans to use the grant money to create similar workplace simulation programs in other local school districts.

The goal of the programs is to give kids the opportunity to look at different STEM-related career paths while still in high school.

“This is an opportunity for you to see what goes on in the engineering process and see the business model of what occurs at Crane,” Bloomfield principal David Dean told his students during the pilot program in 2015.  “Maybe it will strike a chord with you and you can come back to our area and make a very good living here.”

Skill UP Indiana! is funded by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD).

IU-MSI STEM Initiative Representatives Visit NSWC Crane

Indiana University Minority Serving Institutions (IU-MSI) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Initiative representatives visited Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) to view and discuss research opportunities with NSWC Crane technical professionals on July 27. The tour included presentations which highlighted cyber security, polymer, electro-optics, failure material analysis lab and others.

NSWC Crane Technology Transfer Office enters into two Patent License Agreements and a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with technology-based Hoosier business

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) Technology Transfer (T2) Office recently entered into two Patent License Agreements (PLA) and a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with technology-based small business, CelerAscent LLC, of Madison, IN.

NSWC Crane Enters into Multi-University CRADA

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane (NSWC Crane) has entered into a multi-university Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Purdue University, Iowa State University and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The goal of this CRADA is to develop and characterize new pyrotechnic ingredients, formulations, additives and binders.

Dr. Eric Miklaszewski, NSWC Crane principal investigator, developed this collaborative agreement with well-known academic leaders in energetic material combustion including Steven Son of Purdue, Dr. Lori Groven of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and Travis Sippel of Iowa State University.

NSWC Crane Employees Elected to Serve on Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) Midwest Committee

Two Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) employees have recently been elected to serve on the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for Technology Transfer Midwest Regional Committee.

NSWC Crane Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) and Technology Transfer (T2) Program Manager and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Manager Brooke Pyne has been elected to serve as the committee’s regional coordinator and NSWC Crane Agreements Administrator and ORTA Agreements Administrator Jenna Dix has been elected to serve as the committee’s deputy regional coordinator.

NSWC Crane, OAI Announce Partnership Intermediary Agreement

CRANE, Ind. – Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI) announced a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) on Thursday, May 5 during an event held at Crane. The event included representatives from both Crane and OAI, including NSWC Crane Commanding Officer CAPT Jeffrey Elder and OAI Senior Program Manager Howard Thompson. The purpose of this PIA is to promote cooperative activities between NSWC Crane, the State of Ohio, OAI members, small business firms and educational institutions served by OAI.

NSWC Crane Commanding Officer CAPT JT Elder and Dr. Andrew L. Gyekenyesi, Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), Associate Chief Scientist/Manager: Turbomachinery and Propulsion sign a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) on May 5, 2016 at NSWC Crane. The purpose of this PIA is to promote cooperative activities between NSWC Crane, the State of Ohio, OAI members, small business firms and educational institutions served by OAI.

NSWC Crane’s Sea, Air and Land Challenge Scheduled for April 9

CRANE, Ind. – Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division’s (NSWC Crane) Sea, Air and Land Challenge is scheduled for April 9 at Ivy Tech Community College’s main campus in Bloomington. The challenge is a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) initiative with a focus on engineering and robotics that fosters interest in DoD technologies by giving kids hands-on engineering experience and exposure to the Special Operations community.

NSWC Crane Scientist Wins International Pyrotechnics Award

Dr. Jonathan Dilger, a scientist at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), has won the 2016 Dr. Bernard E. Douda Young Scientist Award. The International Pyrotechnics Society (IPS) presents the award annually to assist one scientist under 40 in presenting research at an IPS seminar. Dilger will present his winning paper, “Pyrolysis / Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry: A New Tool to Detect Toxic Byproducts of Pyrotechnic Reactions”, at the 42^nd IPS seminar in July.

Dr. Jonathan Dilger, a scientist at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), has won the 2016 Dr. Bernard E. Douda Young Scientist Award.

NSWC Crane Plays Essential Role in National Security

The Department of Defense (DoD) relies on a large network of global suppliers for parts used in communication and weapon systems. In Fiscal Year 2014, the DoD managed more than 4.7 million parts at a cost of over $96 billion. All of these parts are at risk of being counterfeited, which can affect the integrity of systems, delay missions and endanger the lives of service members. Experts at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) help the nation avoid these dangers by developing and maintaining systems to detect and avoid counterfeit parts in the DoD’s supply chain.

EO Technology Division Helps Warfighters Stay on Target

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) Expeditionary Electro-Optic Systems Branch and Electro-Optic Maintenance Branch personnel recently finalized the development of a test station along with test processes and analysis tools to measure the thermal drift of weapon-mounted electro-optic (EO) scopes and sights. The initiative addressed the tendency of a current Special Operations Forces (SOF) weapon sight’s reticle to shift with variations in temperature. The Electro-Optics Team that collaborated to develop this test capability included Ron Volpone, Scot Curry, Matt Thurner and Brandon Clarke.