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A dynamic era in naval oceanography recently ended as the iconic Floating Instrument Platform — popularly known as FLIP — was officially retired from service. Built in 1962 with funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), FLIP helped generations of scientists and oceanographers better understand the mysteries of the sea, including internal waves, air-sea interaction and long-range sound propagation. Sadly, age and exorbitant life-extension costs resulted in the platform being disestablished. On Aug. 3, a solemn gathering of well-wishers watched as FLIP was towed, at sunset, to a dismantling and recycling facility. Last month, a formal good-bye ceremony was hosted by the Marine Physical Laboratory at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Though retired, FLIP will live on at Scripps. One of its booms (crane-like arms for suspending instruments) will be installed on the Scripps research pier in La Jolla and used to deploy instruments. Also, artifacts from the platform will be displayed in a permanent exhibit at Scripps’ Birch Aquarium.

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.”

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.

When in Rome, as the saying goes, do as the Romans do. So, when in Britain, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global does what the British do – take tea at least once a month with potential industry partners. Jeffrey Brewer, co-director, ONR Global London Tech Bridge (LTB), said the Tea and Tech engagement is more than just a fun event. Its aim is to find solutions to problems that have been identified by U.S. Navy and Marine personnel or by the Royal Navy. Most of the companies that are invited are based in the U.K., although other European-based companies as well as U.S. companies may be approached. “We meet with several innovative companies in a rapid-fire format,” said Brewer. “Companies have a limited time to make their pitches, and we have subject matter experts from both navies on hand to ask questions and provide feedback. It’s almost a “Shark Tank” format.”

Today, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) recognized awardees of the 2024 Young Investigator Program (YIP).

More than 225 representatives of technology-focused small businesses joined a webinar, Oct. 23, to learn the ins and outs of the contracting process for awards through the Office of Naval Research. The Office of Small Business (OSB) at ONR initiated the webinar with the help of Virginia PTAC, an APEX Accelerator program that is partially funded through the Department of Defense (DoD) and administered by George Mason University.

Seeking out new technology or exciting ideas at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global is something of a treasure hunt. Dr. Scott Walper, science director, ONR Global, says the search for innovative projects can take him and his team of program officers all over the world, relying on a bit of luck — or serendipity — to strike gold. But recently, Walper said he and his predecessor for Synthetic Biology at ONR Global, Dr. Patrick Rose, who is now with SPRIND (Germany’s Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation) had an idea to try something a little different. Walper said, “The thought was we would put out a call for a ‘Serendipity Collective,’ where we would sponsor a workshop and ask people to tell us their craziest ideas”. To attract innovators, the team worked with the company IdeatePlus. Walper said Kevin D'Silva, IdeatePlus CEO, and his team were instrumental in helping develop and manage the event, setting up a web-based platform to crowdsource and push out a social media campaign. The website generated 73 concepts from more than 225 active participants. The information was collected and shared it with a team of experts, including an artist, engineer, scientist and someone from the humanities. The experts scored proposals based on originality and feasibility. Eight teams were then invited to the “Serendipity Collective” held in Berlin in May. From those core concepts, another panel of experts composed of representatives from ONR Global, DEVCOM, the VW (Volkswagen) Foundation and SPRIND picked the ones they wanted to sponsor with an award of $50,000 to kick-start their efforts.

A few of the next generation’s brightest scientists recently had the opportunity to present their research and take part in a meeting of the NATO Science and Technology Board (STB). The STB hosted the event in Helsinki, Finland, Sep. 18-22, marking the first major NATO committee held in Finland since it joined the Alliance in April. The objective of the event was to engage with the next generation of scientists and introduce them to the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) by giving them the opportunity to present their research and to take part in a meeting of the STB.

Identify an issue and work to resolve it. That kind of work ethic exemplifies one of the most recent Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal winners, Lt. Cmdr. Sam Hughes, who worked with TechSolutions, at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global, to create a new, more efficient way to train radar operators. Hughes came up with the idea to use a simulation program for training radar operators while working as the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Integrated Product Team (IPT) lead at the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWC TSD). The new radar simulator trains up to 14 people at one time with a standardized training method. While Hughes’ name is written on the certificate from the DoN, he stressed it was a team effort that helped push the new radar operations training forward. “This is 100% not me. It was a team effort and as soon as we get it out to the fleet and it works, that'll be the greatest award I could receive.”

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh, best known for his daring dive to the deepest spot on Earth, nearly 36,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, has died at age 92. Walsh was a co-pilot of the Trieste bathyscaphe, a deep submergence vehicle acquired by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1958. Two years later, on January 23, 1960, Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard, son of the inventor of the bathyscaphe, became the first humans to descend into the Challenger Deep, located in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. “ONR sponsored the Trieste, but it was then-Lt. Don Walsh who made the very daring decision to make the first descent into the deepest spot of the earth’s ocean. Walsh was a Navy officer, a submariner, an adventurer, and an oceanographer. To his family, we extend our deepest condolences and gratitude for allowing him to explore, and share his extraordinary experiences and knowledge with us,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus.