NEWPORT – Students from the University of Rhode Island and University of Connecticut presented senior design and capstone projects at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport recently.
Nine teams of seniors were tasked with the projects, which addressed real U.S. Navy needs, such as 3D printing in a dynamic environment and launching unmanned vehicles, according to NUWC. The Office of Naval Research funds the projects as part of its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics initiative, to help recruitment.
James LeBlanc, chief scientist in NUWC’s Platform and Payload Integration Department, hosted the project review day for students to present briefs, receive information on NUWC employment and tour the NUWC Newport Launcher Facility and the Survivability Test Laboratory.
“With nine senior design projects happening between the two universities, it seemed like a great opportunity to bring them all together to present their projects, to learn from each other,” LeBlanc said. “It’s also a great opportunity for us to hear from them and provide feedback on their projects, which have real applications to the Navy.”
Close to Newport, URI enjoys a collaborative relationship with the command. It hosts a seminar series that features NUWC Newport engineers and scientists as guest speakers.
Part of the Naval Sea System Command, NUWC Division Newport is one of two divisions of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.
Susan Shalhoub is a PBN contributing writer.
