The Science Behind the Fleet: Eleven Naval Research Lab Experts Earn Etter Awards

Photo By Sarah Peterson | Eleven U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) engineers and scientists received the prestigious Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Awards during a ceremony at the Pentagon on July 29, recognizing their exceptional contributions to naval science and technology. L-R: USS America Digital Corrosion Tank Inspection Team – James Martin, Jimmy Tagert, and Edward Lemieux (Chemistry Division); Emergent Scientist – Dr. Benjamin Phrampus (Space Science Division); Emergent Scientist – Dr. Joseph M. D'Addezio (Ocean Sciences Division); Next-generation Ionosphere Model for Operations (NIMO) Team – Dr. Sarah McDonald, Dr. Christopher Metzler, Dr. Angeline Burrell, and Emily Morgan (Space Science Division); Individual Scientist – Dr. Michael J. Coleman (Space Systems Development Division); Emergent Engineer – Dr. Joseph B. Murray (Optical Sciences Division). (U.S. Navy photos by Sarah Peterson)  

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES

08.18.2026

Story by Nicholas Pasquini 

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Eleven U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) engineers and scientists received the prestigious Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Awards during a ceremony at the Pentagon, July 29, recognizing their exceptional contributions to naval science and technology.

Imagine a U.S naval strike group navigating a pitch-black, GPS-denied ocean, relying on a silent, invisible tether of data and energy to survive. In the modern battlespace, technological superiority is the unseen armor shielding our Sailors and Marines. NRL scientists and engineers are proud architects of that armor – forging the algorithms, sensors, and modeling systems that ensure when a Fleet sails into contested waters, they hold the definitive, devastating advantage.

“Our warfighters operate in domains where seconds and centimeters define the boundary between mission success and failure,” said NRL Commanding Officer Capt. Randy Cruz. “The Naval Research Lab develops the technologies that keep our ships at sea, guide our assets safely through denied waters,buildresilient tactical networks and provide warfighter advantage.”

Named after the former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, the Dr. Delores M. Etter Awards celebrate both early-career and senior investigators whose breakthroughs are directly redefining fleet readiness, lethality, and capabilities.

This year's NRL honorees delivered transformational advances across multiple domains:

• USS America Digital Corrosion Tank Inspection Team – James Martin, Jimmy Tagert, and Edward Lemieux (Chemistry Division): The team revolutionized fleet maintenance by deploying an advanced digital imaging system aboard USS America (LHA 6) while forward deployed. Inspecting over 65 tanks in two weeks without the need for manned entry, this data-driven approach prevented unnecessary overhauls and saved significant time and cost. The technology has been adopted as the preferred inspection method for all surface combatants and is being rapidly deployed to Navy Regional Maintenance Centers worldwide.
• Emergent Scientist – Benjamin Phrampus, Ph.D. (Space Science Division): Phrampus pioneered a machine-learning approach using Convolutional Neural Networks to estimate global bathymetry from sea-surface satellite altimetry. This breakthrough allows for rapid, comprehensive mapping of the seabed—even in denied areas where acoustic soundings are unavailable—significantly enhancing operational flexibility and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
• Emergent Scientist – Joseph M. D'Addezio, Ph.D. (Ocean Sciences Division): D'Addezio developed a high-fidelity maritime digital twin of the Taiwan Strait. Utilizing cutting-edge two-way nesting and ocean modeling technologies, this simulation provides the most realistic depiction of the ocean environment in the region, granting a distinct decision and tactical advantage to warfighters.
• Next-generation Ionosphere Model for Operations (NIMO) Team – Sarah McDonald, Ph.D.; Christopher Metzler, Ph.D.; Angeline Burrell, Ph.D.; and Emily Morgan (Space Science Division): Bridging the gap between basic research and operations, this team developed the Navy’s first operational ionospheric forecast model. NIMO delivers crucial situational awareness of the high-frequency propagation environment, supporting long-range communications, over-the-horizon radar, and electromagnetic maneuver warfare planning.
• Individual Scientist – Michael J. Coleman, Ph.D. (Space Systems Development Division): Spearheading a first-of-its-kind Australia United Kingdom United States coalition effort, Coleman led the design and testing of advanced atomic clock ensembles for maritime operations. His transformational work delivers resilient, GPS-independent timekeeping, ensuring secure communications, sensor fusion, and coordinated precision actions even in heavily contested, GPS-denied environments.

These exceptional achievements highlight NRL’s ongoing commitment to delivering game-changing capabilities to the joint force and sustaining the Department of the Navy's strategic advantage.

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California.

NRL offers several mechanisms for collaborating with the broader scientific community, within and outside of the Federal government. These include Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), LP-CRADAs, Educational Partnership Agreements, agreements under the authority of 10 USC 4892, licensing agreements, FAR contracts, and other applicable agreements.

For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at mailto:[e-mail].

• Date Taken: 08.18.2026
• Date Posted: 08.18.2026 12:19
• Story ID: 572655
• Location: WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US