NUWC Division Newport employees attend RI Women in Science and Engineering inaugural event

Photo By Public Affairs Office | Molly Donohue Magee (from left), executive director, Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance introduces Dr. Chris Demchak, director of the Center for Cyber Conflict Studies at the Naval War College, during the inaugural meeting of the R.I. Women in Science and Engineering group at the Atlantic Resort in Middletown on Nov. 14, 2017.  

NEWPORT, RI, UNITED STATES

12.12.2017

Story by Public Affairs Office 

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport

Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport employees attended the inaugural meeting of a group envisioned as a resource for networking, mentoring, and professional outreach for women. Rhode Island Women in Science and Engineering (RIWISE) was launched by the Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance (SENEDIA) at the Atlantic Resort in Middletown on Nov. 14, 2017.

The inaugural event attracted technical professionals, professors, teachers, and college students interested in assisting with school outreach and mentorship for young girls interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.

Networking at the event began almost immediately as a college freshman, a high school math teacher, a NUWC Newport engineer, a defense contractor technical writer, and a college instructor shared a table and took time to get to know each other. Attendees mingled over appetizers and drinks before listening to an entertaining presentation that rivaled a TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talk.

Ann Turley, head, Surface Ship and Aviation Systems Division in NUWC Newport’s Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, who attended the event said that creating a WISE group offered new opportunities for networking among women.

“Bringing together women from NUWC, industry, and academia provides many opportunities for networking, collaboration, and sharing lessons learned,” Turley said. “During the short time before the presentation I was able to meet and establish relationships from current and former senior leaders. I was also happy to see so many of the NUWC departments represented. That demonstrates an interest and hopefully a commitment to supporting this endeavor.”

Molly Donohue Magee, SENEDIA’s executive director, said the initiative’s ultimate goal is to ensure a strong pipeline of women entering Rhode Island’s science and technology workforce.

“We plan to meet on a quarterly basis and are in the process of setting up a website,” said Magee.

Dr. Chris Demchak, the Rear Adm. Grace Murray Hopper Professor, chairwoman of Cyber Security, and the director of the Center for Cyber Conflict Studies (C3S) at the Naval War College, talked to the group about the cyber ecosystem. Demchak, who retired from the U.S. Army as lieutenant colonel, earned a doctorate in political science from the University of California, Berkeley; a master’s degree from the Energy Resources Group, also at UC Berkeley, and a Master of Public Affairs in economic development from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

In her research on cyberspace as a globally shared insecure complex ‘substrate,’ Demchak takes a systemic approach to emergent structures, comparative institutional evolution, adversaries’ use of systemic cybered tools, virtual worlds/gaming for operationalized organizational learning, and designing systemic resilience against imposed surprise. If you are interested in becoming part of this community of women focused on science and engineering or wish to obtain more information, contact Magee at 401-378-8485 or [e-mail].

NUWC Newport has its own WiSE group. Shortly after the International Women’s Day in March 2017, a NUWC Newport chapter of WiSE was launched. Still in its formative phase, the group’s mission is "to expand and improve educational and professional opportunities for women in all fields of STEM by facilitating individual, institutional, and social change."

The group meets monthly and has been involved in a number of activities, including a Bring Your Child to Work Day activity; a presentation of the history of women at NUWC Newport; and participation in a high velocity learning video. The group is still developing its goals and plans additional outreach, social events, and presentations.

NUWC Division Newport, part of the Naval Sea System Command, is one of two divisions of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. NUWC Division Newport’s mission is to provide research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures. NUWC’s other division is located in Keyport, Wash.

• Date Taken: 12.12.2017
• Date Posted: 12.12.2017 16:33
• Story ID: 258522
• Location: NEWPORT, RI, US