Middle Schoolers Participate in NUWC Division Newport's Annual SeaPerch Derby
Derby held on December 6 at New Bedford High School in Massachusetts.Using a remote-controlled underwater vehicle known as a SeaPerch, which was constructed by the students, participating teams hailed from five middle schools—Normandin, Keith and Roosevelt in New Bedford; Kickemuit in Warren, Rhode Island; and Pennfield in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.With assistance from Division Newport scientists and engineers, the SeaPerch Derby regional competition is designed to promote excellence and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. It gives the students basic skills
USV Provides Near Real-Time Deep Ocean Current Observations
Sonardyne and SeaTrac Systems used advanced sensors and uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to deliver science-ready deep ocean current data on the Gulf’s Loop Current System, direct to scientists’ desks in near real-time.The project, commissioned and in collaboration with the University of Rhode Island (URI), opens the door to reliable, on-demand and sustained high-resolution observations of powerful and dynamic ocean systems, without the need to send people offshore.In turn, this boosts scientists’ ability to improve predictive models, helping industry and science understand and mitigate
NUWC Division Newport Hosts Warfighters Panel, ‘Cup O’ Joe’ to Celebrate Veterans
, which gives employees a chance to discuss their experiences in the military and swap stories over coffee.Among the attendees were Susan Balcirak, head of the Signal Processing and Analysis Branch, and her husband Dean Balcirak, head of the Information Customer Services Branch. The North Kingstown, Rhode Island, couple met during their freshman year at the U.S. Naval Academy when they were paired together on a boat for the sailing team. Dean, who grew up in the Great Lakes region of Michigan and was recruited to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was the skipper, while Susan served as crew
URI Hosts Global Ocean Technology Conference
The University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Sea Grant recently hosted the Marine Technology Society’s annual TechSurge conference. The three-day event convened approximately 120 attendees from around the world at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography on the Narragansett Bay Campus.The conference, which focused on fisheries and benthic monitoring for offshore development, featured lectures, workshops, networking events, and a “Tech Cafe” for fostering industry and student connections. Tours of the Narragansett Bay Campus and highlighted ocean technology laboratories and
Sonardyne Technology Selected for New Oceanographic Research Vessels
requirements.The first system has recently been delivered to Oregon State University to be fitted to the R/V Taani, to be operated by the university, by vessel builder Bollinger Houma Shipyards.Systems for the other two vessels, R/V Narragansett Dawn (to be operated by a University of Rhode Island-led consortium) and the R/V Gilbert R. Mason (to be operated by the Gulf-Caribbean Oceanographic Consortium) will be delivered next year.Sonardyne's Ranger 2 will allow US researchers to accurately track and simultaneously communicate with multiple underwater scientific instruments, vehicles
Seismometers Retrieved for Slow-Slip Earthquake Study
;this time focusing on the Hawke’s Bay region, a different portion of the Hikurangi plate boundary where slow slip earthquakes are also observed.Earth Sciences New Zealand, GEOMAR, University of Tokyo, Kyōto University, Tōhoku University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and the University of Rhode Island are the research partners on this project. Scientific research funding for this project has come from New Zealand's Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, Germany’s Helmholtz Association, the United States National Science Foundation, and Japanese government science funding
Navy’s NUWC Newport Honors 42 Training Program Graduates
professional education and development, that has increased in-house knowledge in mission-related disciplines, that support the division’s technical and business capabilities.This year’s graduates attended 22 schools including the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, the University of Rhode Island, Stevens Institute of Technology, Roger Williams University, and New England Institute of Technology.Five of the graduates received a doctorate, 29 received a master’s degree, eight received a bachelor’s degree, one received an associate degree, and one received a graduate certificate
NUWC Division Newport’s Summer STEM Program Encourages Career Exploration
vehicles (ROVs) over two three-week sessions held in July and August. Designed as a steppingstone to science, math, technology and engineering (STEM) careers, UTAP is aimed at providing clarity for high school students interested in those fields. Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., attended the sessions held July 7-24 and July 28-August 14.On the first day of each session, students received a SeaPerch Kit containing all the parts needed to build a basic ROV. As the week progressed, the teams were given
Shipwreck Windfall: ROV Expedition Captures Maritime History
The chill, freshwater depths of Lake Ontario may not first come to mind when thinking about shipwrecks, but an expedition by the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI) at the University of Rhode Island (URI) is challenging that perception. Its star explorer? A compact but mighty Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) named Rhody. What began as a mission to support NOAA’s interest in high-resolution shipwreck documentation within the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary has evolved into a dynamic academic research experience merging innovation, partnership and the expanding role of robotics in
August 2025
