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Navy signs EPA with Stevens Institute of Technology

  • Published
  • By Thomas Worsdale
  • Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  U.S. Navy officials met with administrators from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., to sign an Educational Partnership Agreement Sept. 24, 2014.

The agreement is intended to enhance the educational experience of students and faculty by providing both with an opportunity to work with expert engineers, unique facilities, and state-of-the-art equipment related to naval aviation at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Lakehurst, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

Dr. George Korfiatis, Stevens' Provost and University vice president, opened the signing ceremony by touching on the long-spanning relationship between the Navy and Stevens:

· 1870: The first professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stevens, Robert Thurston, was a Navy officer for 10 years and taught in the Naval Academy.
· 1917: Rear Adm. Frederic Harris, class of 1898, designed and constructed the main dry docks in Brooklyn, Guantanamo and Pearl Harbor.
· 1918: Then Undersecretary of the Navy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, request Stevens to establish the U.S. Steam Engineering School - graduated more than 1,800 cadets in 15 months.
· 1931 to 1940: Stevens constructed the Davidson Laboratory Towing Tanks on campus, which were used heavily during World War II by the Navy.
· 1942: Stevens developed the War Industries Training School, which trained more than 5,000 personnel.
· 1943: Chosen for the Navy's V-12 Program to train naval officers.
· Today: Stevens is one of the few universities in the country offering Naval Engineering undergraduate degrees and is home to the Atlantic Center for the Innovative Design.

"Access to NAVAIR engineers and scientists, hardware and unique facilities creates an incredible opportunity for these students to become aware of, and collaborate in the many disciplines associated with our engineering systems," said Kathleen Donnelly, Support Equipment and Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Engineering Department senior executive and director.

Rear Adm. Mark Darrah, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) commander, Patuxent River, Md., was "honored to be on hallowed grounds" and wrapped up his comments by pointing to Stevens' logo that reads "The Innovation University."

"That's why we are here today," Darrah stated. "To further our relationship and tap into this innovative academic institution that has always answered the call when asked for by our Navy."

Stevens and NAVAIR Lakehurst have continued to forge a co-op relationship, with approximately six students enrolled in the program yearly, providing a rich and rewarding work environment during their undergraduate studies and providing the NAVAIR recruitment pipeline with high-caliber, seasoned employees.

More than 230 Stevens Tech alumni are employed with NAVAIR Lakehurst and 32 employees are currently enrolled in the Stevens/Lakehurst on-site graduate program in Systems Engineering.

In 2012, Stevens awarded NAVAIR Lakehurst as Employer of the Year and in October, they will be announcing NAVAIR Lakehurst as their 2014 Co-op Employer of the Year. The EPA solidifies the already productive relationship between NAVAIR and Stevens and opens avenues for future collaborations.

Founded in 1870, Stevens Tech is a premier, private research university with more than 6,300 undergraduate and graduate students and 350 faculty members dedicated to advancing the frontiers of science and leveraging technology to confront global challenges. Stevens is home to four national research centers of excellence, as well as joint research programs focused on critical industries such as healthcare, energy, finance, defense, maritime security, STEM education and coastal sustainability.

Similar EPAs with NAWCAD's Lakehurst site were signed in 2012 with the New Jersey Institute of Technology; in 2011 with both Villanova and Drexel Universities; in 2010 with Fairleigh Dickinson University; and in 2008 with both Rowan University and the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science.

For information regarding NAWCAD Education Outreach contact: Holly Kellogg at holly.kellogg@navy.mil, Gaetan Mangano at gaetan.mangano@navy.mil or Robert Seltzer at robert.seltzer@navy.mil.