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Gathered in a temporary maritime operations center in Arlington, Virginia, military, industry and political leaders watched multiple satellite images flash onto large monitor screens. These images showed three types of drug-running vessels hundreds of miles away in the Atlantic Ocean — a small, fast, highly maneuverable boat capable of transferring illicit cargo between ships on the high seas; a support ship with a crane for loading and unloading contraband; and a tugboat serving as the recipient ship for smuggling cargo into the U.S. The scenario was part of a larger July 2023 experimentation event designed to emulate drug-smuggling activities in the maritime domain as well as efforts to deter the flow of such contraband. Called the SCOUT Main Experimentation Event, the two-week exercise involved partners such as the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Joint Inter-Agency Task Force-South (JIATF-S), U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and numerous naval warfare centers and industry and academic partners. Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus, who was one of several ONR leaders at the maritime operations center, said, “I’m truly impressed by the innovation, teaming and analytic rigor you’ve all brought to this exercise. Your pioneering approach is leading the way for us to learn faster with new partners to tackle the hardest operational challenges.”

For excellence in research areas such as robotics and machine learning, the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) Program recently presented $15,000 scholarship awards to five students competing in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Dallas, Texas. Anthony C. Smith Sr., director of the DoN HBCU/MI Program, which is located at ONR, presented the CNR Scholarship Awards, which honors students in grades nine through 12 for producing and presenting quality science and engineering projects. The honors were distributed at ISEF — one of the world’s largest science and engineering competitions for high schoolers — as part of the Naval Science Awards Program (NSAP), a Navy and Marine Corps program encouraging American students to develop and retain an interest in science and engineering. NSAP celebrates the accomplishments of eligible students at regional and state science and engineering fairs, as well as large ones such as ISEF.

A new mobile app from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is just a download away – expanding ONR’s reach to a wider and more diverse audience, and increasing awareness of its role within the Department of the Navy (DoN). The user-friendly “ONR” mobile app has been approved for downloads on DoN work phones, as well as the general public, giving access to ONR information to anyone who wants to learn more about naval science and technology. The “ONR” app is based on a similar mobile platform used for several years by the Department of the Air Force. It is free to anyone through Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Simply search for “Office of Naval Research” on your preferred platform. If downloading to a DoN work phone, tap the Flank Speed Comp Portal app on your GFE mobile device. Tap the Apps Menu, then scroll to categories. The “ONR” app is located in the reference category.

A U.S. Marine and Coast Guardsman each recently received a Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Award for Excellence in Intelligent Autonomous Systems from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).

Juan Lafuente, head of the Nuclear Command Control and Communications Messaging and Interior Communications Branch at Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific, recently won the Department of Defense (DoD) STEM Advocate of the Quarter award for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023.

TechSolutions has just celebrated its 1000th request for a technology-driven solution identified by the men and women who need it most – Sailors and Marines on the frontlines of the mission. “Necessity is the mother of invention, which is why it’s so important to deliver what our warfighters need when they need it – not five to ten years later, but as soon as possible,” said Capt. Andy Berner, commanding officer of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global, which oversees TechSolutions. “When a viable request comes in, TechSolutions works to put that technology into the hands of our Sailors and Marines within months while other procurement requests are still working their way through red tape.” TechSolutions received its 1000th request on Jan. 19. Jason Payne, director of TechSolutions, said they are looking forward to celebrating the next milestone, number 1500, which he hopes comes in sooner than the first 500 requests since warfighters can now contact TechSolutions directly by phone, email, Teams, or through the ONR mobile app.

ONR Funding opportunity announcement for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Young Investigator Program

A research project from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global is providing valuable information about the effects of melting glaciers in Patagonia that feed into coastal fjords, transporting sediments, freshwater and nutrients. Dr. Chris Konek, science director at ONR Global in Chile, said the research will help the Department of the Navy (DoN) understand the effects of a changing climate on the coastal environment. “That’s the kind of the thing the Marines need to be able to handle,” he said. “It’s basic research and so it will help provide a fundamental understanding of this aspect of coastal systems where you can expect more things like this to happen in the future – more glacial melting as opposed to less.” Cristian Escauriaza, professor, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, is the principal investigator along with his university colleague, Megan Williams. They are working with the Filantropía Cortés-Solari, a conservation organization that owns and manages the Melimoyu Elemental Reserve in northern Patagonia. Patagonia is largely remote with a diverse ecosystem and a rich array of wildlife, including penguins and blue whales. Konek said ONR Global is interested in Escauriaza’s project for its potential to inform what’s happening to that ecosystem, which can also help inform what’s happening to other coastal regions experiencing the same challenges.

The Department of the Navy sponsors an HBCU/MI program to encourage and support minority researchers and graduates.

The Department of the Navy’s (DoN) Naval STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) program has gone live with the newest iteration of its popular Naval Horizons student essay contest for high school and college students.