NUWC Division Newport engineer wins Compass Distinguished Achievement Award from Marine Technology Society

Photo By Richard Allen | Dr. David Rivera, a senior research electronics engineer in the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport’s USW Electromagnetic Systems Department, has won the Marine Technology Society’s 2019 Compass Distinguished Achievement Award.  

NEWPORT, RI, UNITED STATES

10.24.2019

Story by Public Affairs Office 

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport

NEWPORT, R.I. — Dr. David Rivera, a senior research electronics engineer in the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Undersea Warfare (USW) Electromagnetic Systems Department, has won the Marine Technology Society’s 2019 Compass Distinguished Achievement Award.

This annual award honors an individual who has sustained career achievements that have had a significant impact in the fields of marine science and technology.

Rivera, a resident of Westerly, Rhode Island, has made numerous contributions that have profoundly influenced the fields of marine science and technology, and advanced U.S. Navy USW capabilities. His focus is on submarine electromagnetic systems and the necessary developments needed to improve communications connectivity with submerged platforms.

Throughout his 33-year career at Division Newport, Rivera has been a leader in the areas of antenna design, radio-wave propagation and electronic materials. He holds a dozen patents for antennas, microwave devices and metrology instruments, and has another four patents pending. This year he developed a replacement antenna that adds two new important system capabilities while maintaining legacy functionality in a fixed and limited volume. He also developed a new Special Warfare Tactical Antenna utilizing design innovations that make it simple to deploy while being intuitive to operate. The antenna is currently being field tested and is anticipated to be adapted for service in the near future.

Rivera will be recognized as the 2019 Compass Distinguished Achievement Award winner at the OCEANS Conference in Seattle, Washington, being held Oct. 27-31.

NUWC Newport is a shore command of the U.S. Navy within the Naval Sea Systems Command, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems. NUWC Newport provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures associated with undersea warfare.

Currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Captain Michael Coughlin, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Fla., and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, N.Y., Leesburg, Fla., and Dodge Pond, Conn.

• Date Taken: 10.24.2019
• Date Posted: 10.24.2019 10:49
• Story ID: 349046
• Location: NEWPORT, RI, US
• Hometown: WESTERLY, RI, US