NUWC Division Newport employees recognized for developing innovative technology

Photo By Richard Allen | Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport Technical Director Ron Vien (left) and Commanding Officer Capt. Chad Hennings (right) honor M. Shahrooz Amin (center, from left) and Dr. Lynn Antonelli, electrical engineers in the Undersea Warfare Weapons, Vehicles, and Defensive Systems Department and Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, respectively, for their project, “Underwater Optical Proximity Sensor.” The recognition was made during a “Patents, Publications and Technology Transitions” awards ceremony held on Feb. 16, 2022.  

NEWPORT, RI, UNITED STATES

05.13.2022

Story by Public Affairs Office 

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport

NEWPORT, R.I. -- More than 60 current and former Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport employees were recognized for their science, technology, research and innovation accomplishments during a “Patents, Publications and Technology Transitions” awards ceremony held on Feb. 16.
The first of what will become quarterly ceremonies was held in front of Division Newport’s new “Wall of Innovation,” designed to reflect innovation and state-of-the-art accomplishments by the workforce.
“This is what the Wall of Innovation was designed for, to display our technical and scientific advancements and innovation on a rotating basis to the entire community,” Chief Technology Officer Dr. Jason Gomez said as he welcomed attendees to the ceremony.
Technical Director Ron Vien cited the Division Newport mission and its long history of growth, innovation and evolution into new technical areas.
“I’m a bit biased, but we’re pretty cool, what we do here at NUWC, and it’s work like this that really demonstrates our people and technical capabilities,” he said.
Commanding Officer Capt. Chad Hennings agreed.
“To be the first to think of an idea and to be able to share that idea, that’s really impressive,” Hennings said.
Patent awards
Eighteen current and former employees were awarded 12 patents, an important part of the innovation process as patents protect intellectual property, award inventors for innovative ideas and make novel technologies available to the broader scientific and engineering communities.
“We have a strong history and culture in patents here at Division Newport,” said Gomez.
Awardees and their patents include the following:
• Dr. Anthony Ruffa, Chief Technology Office: Patent No. 11,006,208, Compact Low Frequency Acoustic Source (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=11,006,208.PN.&OS=PN/11,006,208&RS=PN/11,006,208)

• Thomas Frank, Undersea Warfare (USW) Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department; Dr. Lynn Antonelli and Stephen Butler, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department; and Jackeline Diapis, Customer Advocate Office: Patent No. 10,788,575, Air-Based Sonar Projector Array (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=10,788,575.PN.&OS=PN/10,788,575&RS=PN/10,788,575)

• Dr. David Daily and Andrew Guarendi, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department; Dr. David Beal, Dr. Aren Hellum, and Dr. Jesse Belden, USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department: Patent No. 11,098,784, Shock Mitigation Utilizing Quiescent Cavitation (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=11,098,784.PN.&OS=PN/11,098,784&RS=PN/11,098,784)
• Hailu Waka and Dr. David Rivera, USW Electromagnetic Systems Department: Patent No. 10,916,855, Contoured-Shape Antenna with Wide Bandwidth (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=10,916,855.PN.&OS=PN/10,916,855&RS=PN/10,916,855)
• Dr. David Rivera: Patent No. 10,819,028, Tunable Parallel Plate Antenna; Patent No. 10,879,617, Wideband Slot Antenna with Interdigital Back Plane; and Patent No. 10,804,589, Parallel Plate Antenna with Vertical Polarization (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=10,819,028.PN.&OS=PN/10,819,028&RS=PN/10,819,028) (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=10,879,617.PN.&OS=PN/10,879,617&RS=PN/10,879,617) ( https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=10,804,589.PN.&OS=PN/10,804,589&RS=PN/10,804,589)
• Christian Schumacher (currently on rotation within the Warfare Centers Headquarters chief technology office) and Dr. Thomas Howarth (former employee): Patent No. 10,799,089, Thermoacoustic Device with Acoustically Transparent Housing and Patent No. 10,805,738, Method for Making a Thermoacoustic Device (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=10%2c779%2c089.PN.&OS=PN/10%2c779%2c089&RS=PN/10%2c779%2c089) (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=10%2c805%2c738.PN.&OS=PN/10%2c805%2c738&RS=PN/10%2c805%2c738)
• Dr. Charles Patrissi, USW Platforms and Payload Integration Departent; Dr. Joseph Fontaine (former employee currently at Naval Surface Warfare Center Division Crane and located at Division Newport); and Jian Tan (former employee): Patent No. 10,895,606, Electrochemical Cell Test Method and Patent No. 11,043,705, Cell Having Implanted Electronic Circuit (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=10,895,606.PN.&OS=PN/10,895,606&RS=PN/10,895,606) (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=11,043,705.PN.&OS=PN/11,043,705&RS=PN/11,043,705)
• Paul Medeiros, USW Electromagnetic Systems Department: Patent No. 10,903,558, A Wide Band Dual Pitch Quadrifilar Antenna with Hemispherical Radiation Pattern Coverage with Reduced Back Lobe (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=10,903,558.PN.&OS=PN/10,903,558&RS=PN/10,903,558)
Gomez discussed last year’s “Shark Tank” sessions, hosted by the Chief Technology Office, in which a panel of patent experts provide feedback on employees’ potentially patentable ideas.
Ruffa, who sat on the “Shark Tank” panel, said that patents have many benefits for everyone involved.
“They help the overall Navy mission, and if something is developed and patented by the Navy, it takes away the possibility of industry patenting it and, therefore, the Navy having to pay industry for it,” he said. “Patents keep Division Newport at the forefront of technical excellence and help the Division attract the best and brightest talent. For employees who are awarded a patent, it’s beneficial for career development, being recognized for their contributions and achievements, and can even result in royalties.”
Recent publications
Twelve journal articles were published recently by 20 current and former employees, including:
• Dr. Thomas Deal, USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department: “Physics-based characterization of soft marine sediments using vector sensors” in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0002975)
• Dr. Thomas Wettergren, Chief Technology Office: “POSE.R: Prediction-based Opportunistic Sensing for Resilient and Efficient Sensor Networks” in ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks and “Rapid path planning for Dubins vehicles under environmental currents” in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (https://doi.org/10.1145/3419755) (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921889020304863)
• Dr. Kristina Kamensky, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, and Dr. Aren Hellum: “Underwater shear-based grooming of marine biofouling using a non-contact Bernoulli pad device” in the Journal of Bioadhesion and Biofilm Research (https://doi.org/10.1080/08927014.2020.1834539)
• Michael Galuska, USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department, and Michael Papa, Dr. Carlos Javier, and Dr. James LeBlanc, USW Platforms and Payload Integration Department: “Underwater explosive bubble interaction with an adjacent submerged structure” in the Journal of Fluids and Structures (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889974620306587?via%3Dihub)
• Dr. David Beal: “Review of wireless charging systems for autonomous underwater vehicles” in the IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8943322)
• Dr. Ivars Kirsteins, USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department: “Sonar target representation using two-dimensional Gabor wavelet features” in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0002168)
• Eric Warner, USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department; Paul Cavallaro, Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department; Dr. Jahn Torres and David Ponte, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department; Dr. James LeBlanc; and Ryan Saenger (former employee): “Low temperature effects on the mechanical, fracture, and dynamic behavior of carbon and E-glass epoxy laminates” in the International Journal of Lightweight Materials and Manufacture (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2588840420300329)
• Karin Dolan, Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department, and retired employee David Moretti: “Critical threshold identified in the functional relationship between beaked whales and their prey” in the Marine Ecology Progress Series (https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13521)
• Nicholas Bonatt, USW Platforms and Payload Integration Department, and Dr. Ivars Kirsteins, USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department: “A Novel Probe-to-Probe Method for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Individual Electrospun Nanofibers” in Materials (https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/22/5220)
• Dr. Jillian Bohnker (former employee): “Optimization of the recursive least squares algorithm for capacitive strain sensing” in Engineering Research Express (https://doi.org/10.1088/2631-8695/abca7a)
• Dr. Andrew Hull (former employee): “Dynamic response of an infinite thin plate loaded with concentrated masses” in Wave Motion (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165212520300846)
“These publications keep the research community on the cutting-edge,” Gomez said.
Gomez cited the article by Kamensky, who in 2021 presented her work on marine biofouling at an In-House Laboratory Independent Research (ILIR) session as one of the ways in which ideas can be brought forth for funding consideration.
Biofouling, or the accumulation of microorganisms, plants, or small animals on wet surfaces, creates drag which can reduce the speed of a ship and increase its fuel consumption.
“We invest in basic and applied research such as Kamensky’s biofouling work to maintain a strong research base and incubate technologies that evolve into Navy capabilities,” Gomez said.
Another example is by new professionals, Galuska and Papa, who, along with team members, conducted an experimental and computational investigation to study the interaction between bubbles generated by an underwater explosive (UNDEX) and a nearby steel plate structure.
“The goal of our research is to better understand bubble interaction, collapse, loading and damage to nearby underwater structures,” Galuska said. “Our hope is to improve the design of future naval structures that are subject to UNDEX events.”
“The opportunity to conduct research and publish work was one of the first things I asked about when interviewing at NUWC and quickly became a large reason of why I decided to work here,” Papa said. “Discovering new information and expanding upon existing knowledge to share with the rest of this community is extremely rewarding, as it plays a key role in the innovation of technology and future capabilities.”
Technology transitions
There are various paths to transitioning technology to the U.S. Navy warfighter.
“This is our reason for being,” Gomez said. “We take fleet needs, distill them down to technical challenges for the research community to sink their teeth into and develop innovative solutions for the warfighter.”
Twenty-eight current and former Division Newport researchers were honored for 12 transitioned projects:
• Dr. Lynn Antonelli, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, and M. Shahrooz Amin, USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department: “Underwater Optical Proximity Sensor”
• Joe Ambrico, USW Platforms and Payload Integration Department: “Development of Implosion Criteria for Defensive Systems”
• Dr. Eugene Chabot, USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department; and former employees Dr. Paul Temple and John Lisiewicz: “Technical Positioning for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Mission Package (MP) Innovative Naval Prototype (INP)”
• Dr. Ahmed Zaki, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, and Dr. David Beal: “Implementation of an Advanced Autopilot Development Environment for Underwater Vehicles”
• Brian Sperlongano and Kevin Mattos, USW Combat Systems Department, and Scott Lang, USW Electromagnetic Systems Department: “Raptor Coding for Low-Cost Cybersecurity”
• Ronald Morrissey, James Kendera, and Clifton Mathews, Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department; and Jeremy O’Neal (former employee): “Shallow Water Portable Underwater Tracking Range (PUTR) Upgrade”
• Michael Kroger, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, and Tim Straw (now a contractor): “High Performance Magnetic Heading Sensor”
• Christopher Cornell and Dr. Robert Cross, Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department; and Jim Pollock (former employee): “Track Correlator for Integrated Swimmer Defense”
• Dr. Richard Urian, USW Platforms and Payload Integration Department, and Christian Schumacher: “Investigation of Metal and Chemical Hydrides for Hydrogen Storage in Fuel Cell System”
• Mike Medeiros and Jeffrey Magalhaes, USW Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department, and Samuel Gilbert, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department: “Measuring Directional Wave Elevation Spectra from a Moving Submarine”
• Andrew Greene, Chief Technology Office, and Pete Hendricks (now a contractor): “Integrating an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) into Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV)”
• Dr. Tod Luginbuhl, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department: “Multi-Sensor Contact Follower Fusion”
NUWC Division 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.

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 Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.

Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site- https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport.

• Date Taken: 05.13.2022
• Date Posted: 05.19.2022 08:28
• Story ID: 421039
• Location: NEWPORT, RI, US