Photo By Kenny Jones | Russell Risch, an engineer at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Maintenance Facility...... read more read more
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (June 12, 2025) — Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility welcomed 21 high school interns from the University of Hawai‘i’s JESSE program for a hands-on look at engineering careers that help support the U.S. Navy’s operations in the Pacific.
The Junior Engineers Summer STEM Experience (JESSE) program is a University of Hawai‘i initiative that allows local high school students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math fields while earning college credit. The program aims to cultivate early interest in high-demand fields by connecting students with mentors, resources, and hands-on learning opportunities throughout the summer, according to the University of Hawai‘i College of Engineering, https://www.eng.hawaii.edu/outreach/jesse/
PHNSY & IMF’s STEM outreach program coordinated the JESSE visit as part of the command’s outreach program. Building strong relationships with students is a key part of PHNSY & IMFs approach to workforce development, preparing a new generation of engineers whose fresh perspectives can drive innovation, help sustain a skilled workforce and meet future demands of the fleet.
“Our JESSE interns get to see the opportunities available to them right here at home, the strong partnership we have with the shipyard, and the incredible career growth possible through engineering,” said Kim Perez Hult, director of marketing and outreach relations for the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Engineering.
The day's events began with an overview in the shipyard’s iLAB Collaboration Room, where students learned about the shipyard's mission, workforce needs, and various career paths, including opportunities like the SMART Scholarship and other education programs funded by the Department of Defense. The day progressed with a team-based engineering challenge in which students collaborated with PHNSY & IMF engineers to tackle real-world problems encountered by shipyard engineers. Interns pitched solutions to problems such as electrical troubleshooting and repair evaluations on closed-loop cooling systems, aiming to strengthen their critical thinking skills.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the kinds of questions and answers the students gave,” said Matt Cook, an engineer at PHNSY & IMF who also teaches a nuclear energy course through the shipyard’s Educational Partnership Agreement with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. “I expected to guide them more through the problem, but that wasn’t the case at all. Their answers were thoughtful, and one even asked a question I hadn’t considered myself. I hope what they took away is the importance of asking questions — and challenging assumptions, including their own.”
The day concluded with a "windshield tour" through the shipyard's controlled industrial area, where students observed how the U.S. Navy's most advanced ships undergo maintenance.
PHNSY & IMF’s mission is to keep the Navy’s fleet “Fit to Fight” by repairing, maintaining, and modernizing the Navy's fast-attack submarines and surface ships. Strategically located in the heart of the Pacific, it is the most comprehensive fleet repair and maintenance facility between the U.S. West Coast and the Far East.
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2025 15:32 |
| Story ID: | 502052 |
| Location: | PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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