ONR Distinguished Lecture Series

ONR Distinguished Lecture Series

ONR hosts a series of distinguished lectures throughout the year. The series features groundbreaking innovators who have made a major impact on past research or are working on discoveries for the future.

Upcoming Lectures

Date Topic Speaker(s)
February 11, 2020 The Underutilization and Over-Performance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in U.S. STEM Talent Development
  • Dr. Dorothy Huston (moderator): Founder/CEO, TMT Group, Inc.
  • Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young: Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Morgan State University
  • Dr. S. Keith Hargrove: Dean, College of Engineering, Tennessee State University
  • Dr. Kendall Harris: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Texas Southern University
  • Dr. Victor McCrary: Member, National Science Board, Vice President for Research and Graduate Programs, University of the District of Columbia
  • Ms. Veronica Nelson: Executive Director, Advancing Minorities' Interest in Engineering (AMIE)
  • Dr. Sonya Stephens: Associate Dean, College of Science and Technology Associate Professor, Mathematics, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

* For any questions regarding the Distinguished Lecture Series, please email Irina Pala.

Past Lectures

ONR 2020 Distinguished Lecture Series

Date Topic Speaker(s)
January 21, 2020 The Role of Deep Submergence in Naval Warfare—Past, Present and Future: Dr. Robert D. Ballard's 53-Year History with ONR Dr. Robert D. Ballard, President of the Ocean Exploration Trust; Emeritus Scholar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute; Explorer-at-Large, National Geographic Society; Principal Investigator, Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island
January 13, 2020 Quantum Control as a Means to Improve Quantum Sensing in Realistic Environments Dr. Michael Biercuk, Professor of Quantum Physics and Quantum Technology at the University of Sydney, and CEO and Founder of Q-CTRL

ONR 2019 Distinguished Lecture Series

Date Topic Speaker(s)
December 17, 2019 Advancing Diversity-Equity-Inclusion & Excellence in STEM Dr. Michael Feder, Program Director and the SEA Change Institute Director, American Association for the Advancement of Science
November 19, 2019 Applications of Acoustical Oceanography Dr. Megan S. Ballard, Research Scientist at the Applied Research Laboratories, The University of Texas at Austin
October 22, 2019 Waiting for Act 2: The Future of Organic Electronics Beyond OLED Displays Prof. Stephen Forrest, Peter A. Franken Distinguished University Professor of Engineering, University of Michigan
September 17, 2019 Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence: Designing Next Generation User Experiences Prof. Ben Shneiderman, Department of Computer Science and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies at the University of Maryland
August 13, 2019 Partnerships and the New Management Approach Donald L. Blount, Director of Workforce Development, Lavle, USA, Inc.
July 9, 2019 Developing a Modular Microwave Trapped-Ion Quantum Computer Prof. Winfried K. Hensinger, Director, Sussex Centre for Quantum Technologies, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
June 21, 2019 The Stories Behind the Photos: Fourteen Years of Documenting S&T for ONR John F. Williams, ONR's Senior Visual Information Specialist
May 21, 2019 Naval Warfare in the Robotics Age Prof. Jeff Kline, Professor of Practice in Military Operations Research, Naval Postgraduate School
April 30, 2019 Water Splitting from Sea to Air Prof. Daniel G. Nocera, Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy, Harvard University
March 20, 2019 They Believed They Could So They Did Dr. Freda Porter, President and CEO, Porter Scientific Inc.
February 11, 2019 The Legacy of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Future Engineering Faculty Fellowship (FEFF) Program
  • Dr. Felecia McInnis Nave, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, North Carolina Central University
  • Dr. Frances Williams, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, College of Engineering, Tennessee State University
  • Dr. Michel Reece, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Morgan State University

ONR 2018 Distinguished Lecture Series

Date Topic Speaker
October 9, 2018 Rethinking the Culture of STEM Education in America: Preparing Students of all Backgrounds for the Future Workforce Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
September 6, 2018 The Sensorimotor Road to Artificial Intelligence Prof. Jitendra Malik, Arthur J. Chick Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley
August 21, 2018 Novel Passive and Active Approaches to Drag Reduction Using Polymers & Plastrons Prof. Gareth H. McKinley, School of Engineering Professor of Teaching Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
July 23, 2018 Technology Roadmapping Prof. Tugrul U. Daim, Professor and Director of Technology Management Doctoral Program, Portland State University
June 12, 2018 Ocean Mapping: We've come a long way—but still have far to go Prof. Larry Mayer, Director, School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, University of New Hampshire
May 31, 2018 Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Impact on Performance, Health and Safety of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Dr. Charles A. Czeisler, Chief, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Director, Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School
April 24, 2018 Dynamic Loading of Materials and Structures Dr. Vikram Deshpande, Professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Cambridge
March 20, 2018 Multiscale Smart Materials by Design – Connecting Simulation, Experiment and Synthesis Across Multiple Scales Prof. Markus Buehler, McAfee Professor of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
February 20, 2018 The Critical Role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Postsecondary Computing Education Landscape Dr. Ivory A. Toldson

ONR 2017 Distinguished Lecture Series

Date Topic Speaker
December 12, 2017 The Wright Brothers Dr. John Anderson
November 30, 2017 Walking in Beauty in an Ever-Changing Path - A Navajo woman engineer's perspective Sandra Begay
November 6, 2017 Visualizing Science and Technology Dr. Katy Börner
October 17, 2017 What Recent Research has Revealed about Hurricanes Dr. Kerry Emmanuel, Cecil and Ida Green professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
September 12, 2017 Beyond Electronics: Abandoning Perfection for Quantum Technologies Dr. David Awschalom, Deputy Director of the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and Senior Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory
August 22, 2017 Making Light Work of Warfighter Performance Professor Mark S. Rea, Professor of Architecture and Cognitive Sciences, Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
July 11, 2017 Seeking Simplicity in the Flows of Complex Fluids Dr. Howard Stone, Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Department Chair, Princeton University
June 20, 2017 Growing the Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers Sharon Hanley Disher, Director, Young Engineers and Scientists of Maryland, LLC.
May 16, 2017 Understanding and Hijacking the Insect’s Sense of Smell Dr. Barani Raman, Associate Professor of Biochemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis
March 21, 2017 Developing Nanotechnology to Study Biological Systems Dr. Andrea Armani
February 1, 2017 Diamond, a Quantum Material: Where are We Now? Dr. Gary Harris

ONR 70th Anniversary Edition Distinguished Lecture Series

ONR hosted a series of distinguished lectures throughout 2016 to celebrate 70 years of developing cutting-edge science and technology (S&T) for U.S. naval forces.

Date Topic Speaker
December 6, 2016 Aerospace Engineering Dr. William Saric, Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M University
November 7, 2016 Aerospace Engineering Dr. John D. Anderson, Curator of Aerodynamics, Smithsonian Institution
September 6, 2016 DeepDive Data System Dr. Christopher Ré, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Stanford University
August 22, 2016 Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Dr. Mary Kappus, Branch Head, Coastal and Ocean Remote Sensing, Naval Research Laboratory
July 14, 2016 Materials Science Dr. Tresa M. Pollock, Alcoa Professor and Chair, Department of Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara
June 7, 2016 Solar Physics Dr. George Doschek, Research Physicist, Naval Research Laboratory
May 10, 2016 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Systems Mr. Christopher von Alt, Hydroid co-founder and former president
April 5, 2016 Computer Science Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
March 16, 2016 Leadership General Alfred M. Gray, USMC (Retired)
February 2, 2016 Energy Dr. Lonnie G. Johnson, President and CEO, Excellatron
January 15, 2016 Synthetic Biology Dr. Christopher Voigt, Professor of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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