Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport

Check out our NUWC Division, Keyport Team featured in today’s Armed with Science post from the Department of Defense – our experts leading the way in additive manufacturing. Check out the video and link to the story here: https://lnkd.in/gDhcRcEn Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), NAVSEA Warfare Centers (NSWC/NUWC)

Happy Monday, Team! Check out the spotlight below on another exemplary NUWC Division, Keyport employee! When it comes to “Keyport lifers”—those who have dedicated their careers to the command—Program Analyst Tye Ford is a true standout. He’s widely known for his commitment to Keyport’s mission, natural leadership ability, willingness to mentor others and eagerness to take on new challenges. ? "Tye goes above and beyond in every aspect of his daily work," said one coworker. "He is highly knowledgeable, eager to learn and never hesitates to take on new challenges that benefit both his team and the command. His dedication makes him not just a valuable employee, but a true leader within the organization." ? Another coworker added, "Tye is the kind of person you want sitting next to you in the office—always positive, supportive and willing to help others grow. He takes the time to make sure others understand not just how to do their work, but why it matters. His ability to communicate, adapt and find the best solutions makes him an indispensable part of the team." ? Born in Hawaii but raised in the Bremerton area, Tye was an active, curious child. He enjoyed school sports, fishing, and riding motorcycles, but also had what he describes as a natural ability to absorb and apply new information. Despite this, he admits to disliking math, which he now finds ironic given how much math is involved in his current role. ? Tye joined Keyport in July 2008—just weeks after finishing high school—through the Student Career Employment Program at Olympic College. He started as a Wage Grade 1 materials handler supporting the Fleet Industrial Supply Center. ? Over the years, he advanced to a WG-4/5, moved from warehouse work to an inventory manager role, and served as the local business office manager for the Keyport branch of the Fleet Logistics Center. In 2017, he began his current role in the Fleet Readiness Department's Business and Planning Office. ? Along the way, Tye completed the Command Navy Region Northwest Organizational Leadership Certificate Program, a selective program designed to develop high-potential leaders within the Navy. ? Tye said he fully intends to remain a Keyport lifer: “Keyport has a lot of opportunities, a lot of knowledge and many different programs. I have no plans to go anywhere else; I’m sticking around Keyport.” ? Outside of work, Tye is a devoted family man. He and his wife Nikki—whom he describes as the “pillar” of their family—met in high school and married in 2013. They’ve been together for the last 18 years, have two children, ages 10 and 8, and enjoy camping and having other outdoor adventures as a family. ? When he's not with his family, Tye enjoys playing soccer, yard work, hunting and roughing it in the woods.

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport’s Undersea and Combat Systems Depot Division recently completed its annual Torpedo Certification Examining Board inspection, earning the highest overall rating of "Satisfactory" and securing certification for another year. Check out the full story here:?https://lnkd.in/gXF7_QUY.

Dieter Bevans, a scientist in the USW and Surveillance Systems Branch at NUWC Division, Keyport, San Diego Detachment, has taken an unconventional path to becoming a leading expert in underwater acoustics. ? Right out of high school, Bevans wasn’t thinking about autonomous sensing platforms. His early career revolved around hands-on engineering—building 427 Cobra race cars and creating molds for plastic thermoforming as a machinist and engineer.?But in the early 2000s, his career took a dramatic turn during a visit to La Jolla, Calif. ? While visiting the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus, Bevans watched engineers working on a submersible—and in that moment, he knew he had found his next path.?He set an ambitious goal: to complete his college degree as quickly as possible and dive into the world of oceanography. ? In just two years—from 2009 to 2011—he obtained his bachelor’s in physics from the University of Utah. He went on to earn his master’s degree, and then, in 2012, started his PhD in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. His doctoral research specialized in acoustical oceanography and underwater acoustics, with an emphasis on deep trench acoustics, ambient noise and geoacoustic inversions utilizing airborne sound. ? In early 2019, while pursuing his PhD, Bevans was recruited by NUWC Division, Keyport through the SMART Scholarship program. He joined the Test and Evaluation Department, where he began working on a range of cutting-edge projects.? ? “I was able to receive a SMART grant to continue my grad work with helicopter sounds for underwater inversions for geoacoustic sediment properties,” said Bevens. “I was supported through the Chief Technology Officer to participate with a DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] project with principal investigators at [NUWC Division] Newport, which directly led to my participation as a Keyport PI in Task Force Ocean supported by Office of Naval Research.” ? During his time at Keyport, Bevans has collaborated with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Second Star Robotics to build and deploy numerous oceanic drifters. These deployments have taken place during various experiments off the coast of San Diego, Calif. and in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Task Force Ocean Direct Research Initiative. These large-scale experiments have included many principal investigators from academia, private industry and Navy Labs. ? “Science can be done in small groups or even by individuals, but for the large, basic research questions needing answers by the fleet and the Navy, collaboration across the many disciplines of oceanography is required,” shared Bevans.?“Working with oceanographers (physical, biological and physics based), modelers, and engineers across academia, private industry and other Navy labs has not only expanded my understanding of the oceans, but the Navy’s as well.”

The testing of underwater weapons usually happens on tracking ranges, but at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport, a unique facility allows experts to do that testing inside in a 40,000-gallon pressure chamber, which can simulate the acoustics of an undersea environment.

Erik Hansen, one of Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport’s latest graduates of the Naval Acquisition Development Program, has quickly made a name for himself within the command's Unmanned and Theater Undersea Warfare Systems Department. Check out the full story here:?https://lnkd.in/gYh9m84u.

Happy Monday, Team! Check out the spotlight below on another exemplary NUWC Division, Keyport employee! A former private sector attorney turned Keyport branch head, Kim Hammit is a shining example of career reinvention gone brilliantly. ? Kim, a Brinnon, Washington native, worked in law until 2019, when she began to feel burned out by the emotional toll of her work. Seeking a change, she attended a networking event where she met a contracting specialist who suggested her legal expertise could translate well into government contracting. ? “She talked to me about what she did and how she thought my background in law could cross over into government contracting,” said Kim. “So I started looking into it and putting my resume together, thinking this was something that looked interesting and challenging.” ? In 2019, Kim applied and was selected for a junior contract specialist position at Keyport. She quickly found her legal background to be a huge help in navigating the complexities of government contracting, particularly in interpreting regulations and contract law. Over the next five years, her dedication and expertise led to her being promoted first to a contracting officer position and then to her current role as Contracts Command and Corporate Operations Support Branch Head. ? Just as she’d hoped, Kim has found great satisfaction in the challenges and variety of her work in contracting. ? “I like the fact that no two days are ever the same, and no two contracts are alike,” she said. “But it's something where you can always draw on past experiences to navigate unique situations that arise.” ? Recently, Kim took her contracting knowledge to the next level by completing a master’s degree in acquisition and contract management from the Florida Institute of Technology through Keyport's Academic Development Program. ? Kim's colleagues praised her vast expertise, strong work ethic, active listening skills, positive attitude and authenticity. ? “Kim is a true asset to our team and the entire command,” said one coworker. “Her dedication, expertise and positive attitude make her a pleasure to work with and a driving force behind our success. Her deep knowledge of acquisition regulations is invaluable, and her ability to research complex issues quickly and effectively makes her a go-to resource.” ? Another coworker added, “I cannot express enough how impressive she is. She’s a hard worker with an exceptional depth of knowledge in contracting and legal matters. She’s also an excellent active listener—it's clear she takes the time to truly understand what you’re saying, and she values being authentic.” ? Outside of work, Kim is a dedicated mother of three, an avid do-it-yourselfer, and an active supporter of her sons' soccer and wrestling pursuits.

Last week, NUWC Division, Keyport STEM Outreach Coordinator Sam De Lano, Keyport STEM Volunteer Rusty Grable, and PSNS & IMF STEM Coordinator Erin Guizzetti, hosted a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Workshop for public educators from across the state during the Washington Industrial Technology Education Association Conference. Teachers were broken into teams and spent the morning building underwater ROVs, which were then tested in a pool. Teachers experienced the Sea Perch workshop the same way it is delivered to students, providing them with a better understanding of the project-based curriculum, which is designed to make buoyancy, propulsion, and system integration seem easy. #NavySTEM #communitypartners

The Keyport Innovation Center onboard Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport now features a state-of-the-art electronic classroom that is quickly becoming a vital resource for collaborative training and knowledge sharing within the local Naval community. The classroom recently hosted a week-long training course on SolidWorks, a leading computer-aided design software used for creating 3D models and engineering simulations. Ten engineers—five from NUWC Division, Keyport and five from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility—participated in the training, which provided advanced design and simulation skills essential to their work supporting the Navy’s undersea warfare mission. The training was made possible through a collaboration between KIC Director Jacob Snow and John Cotter, PSNS & IMF’s Design Engineering Division Head, who arranged a cost-sharing agreement that allowed both organizations to send employees to the training. This SolidWorks course is one in a series of on-site training events to be held in the KIC’s electronic classroom. According to Snow and Cotter, this approach to professional development not only fosters a more collaborative, knowledgeable workforce, but also saves taxpayer dollars by reducing the need for employees to travel elsewhere for training. “It's really great because now people don't have to travel to go take that training,” said Snow. “They can do it right here at Keyport.” Cotter added, “If I can share the cost with Keyport and I only send five and they send five, we get the full cost benefit of the class to the government, but it's shared."

Happy Monday, Team! Check out the spotlight below on another exemplary NUWC Division, Keyport employee! Katie Sandwell, head of the Test and Evaluation Department’s Undersea Warfare Ship Test and Evaluation Branch at NUWC Division, Keyport Detachment Pacific, is a key figure leading innovations to improve the Navy's readiness and operational capability. ? Katie, a San Diego native, has always been drawn to the ocean. She took up swimming, diving and surfing at the age of seven and went on to develop a fascination with the mechanics of navigating water, which in turn led her to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2009. ? After completing her degree, she began working as an engineer at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. While she had never pictured herself working with submarines, she welcomed the opportunity to learn a new field. She initially worked in hull, mechanical and electrical testing on submarines, then moved to the Combat Systems Division. ? Over the next 13 years, Katie gained extensive experience in combat systems testing and performance management, serving in roles such as head of PHNS & IMF’s Combat Systems Test Division, lead test engineer, work control manager, assistant chief test engineer for combat systems, availability performance manager and head of the Combat Systems Chief of Naval Operations Waterfront Execution Branch. ? In 2022, Katie began her current role at Detachment Pacific, where she brought her shipyard experience to bear on a new challenge: leading a team focused on testing and evaluating sonar systems on destroyers and cruisers. She amply rose to this challenge, quickly earning praise from coworkers for her leadership, technical expertise, positive attitude and dedication to her team. ? “Katie’s strong leadership has fostered a collaborative and highly motivated team that consistently exceeds expectations in executing [Undersea Warfare Combat System Ship Qualification Trials], proactively addresses key initiatives and maintains a commitment to excellence in all aspects of mission support,” said her supervisor. ? An employee of Katie’s added, “She’s honestly an awesome boss and just genuinely cares about the people around her.” ? Outside of work, Katie continues to pursue her passion for surfing, diving and other ocean sports. She also finds enjoyment in woodworking, home improvement projects and spending time with her pointer mix Mellie.