June 2024
In this issue…
Spring Engineering Seminar is a Huge Success!
So What in the Heck is the Potomac Tech Bridge?
Virginia Expands Online Permitting Efficiencies
Virginia Offshore Wind Project Underway as Environmental Studies Continue
NSPE Job Board
Get Enlightened and Inspired at NSPECon24
NSPE’s Focus on Fostering Inclusivity and Professionalism
Spring Webinar Series On-Demand
Spring Engineering Seminar is a Huge Success!
VSPE partnered with Cardinal Education, the University of Mary Washington, and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) to host a Spring Engineering Seminar.
The welcome and introduction remarks were given by VSPE’s Dave Welter and Jerry Davis joined by Bob Bailey, Program Director for Cardinal Education, and Dr. Michael Hubbard, Director of UMW at Dalgren. About 50 attendees enjoyed the event, including consultants, Virginia engineering graduate program directors, Caroline County school representatives, and military affairs and research specialists. Following lunch, attendees also enjoyed a guided tour of the Potomac River Test Range, the Dahlgren NAVSEA Directed Energy Lab, and the Hypersonics Facility.
Seminar topics of focus included the Potomac Tech Bridge Project Overview and the Responsible and Ethical Use of AI in Engineering: A Panel Discussion. Speakers and panelists included the following:
- Michael Clark, Potomac Tech Bridge Director, NSWCDD
- Victor Fuster, Operations Partner, Riphean Investments
- Joe Caliri, President, SimVentions
- Dr. John Seel, SSTM, Distinguished Scientist, Naval Data Sciences, NSWCDD
- Dr. Christina Liaghati, ATLAS Lead, MITRE
- Graham Gilmer, Senior Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton
- Jennifer Lombardo, Solutions Architect, NVIDIA
- Dr. Matthew Kuan Johnson, Acting Chief of Responsible AI (RAI), CDAO
So What in the Heck is the Potomac Tech Bridge?
Excerpts from Fredericksburg.com article: Dahlgren Base Building Tech Bridge With Private Sector (Cathy Dyson), December 15, 2023
Last December the NSWCDD kicked off its Potomac Tech Bridge program, an initiative designed to get those in private industry in the business of thinking about defense-related problems by tapping the innovative minds and high-tech skills of those outside the military. The Dahlgren facility already is the Navy’s largest warfare center with a focus on research-to-design products, but the goal of the Tech Bridge is to get even “more players on the field,” said Michael Clark, program director. “As a country, we have a lot of businesses and people that work on defense-related problems,” he said. “But the threats of today are different than they’ve ever been in the past. They’re more complex and more dynamic, and it’s going to take our entire industrial base. Innovators across our country that currently are not working on defense problems, we need to pull them in . and get them on our team.” The Dahlgren program is the 18th Tech Bridge in the United States and internationally. In May 2020, the Navy expanded these types of technology centers where the military could collaborate with the private sector and academia on challenges unique to the military.
The program also can become what Dale Sisson Jr., NSWCDD’s technical director, called a “force multiplier.” In recent years, the warfare center and other divisions at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren have focused on conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, but after recent events in Israel, “our challenge got that much greater.” Having a local Tech Bridge, and getting more partners involved in developing solutions, is another avenue “to meet the high-end fight and provide tools and technological advancement our sailors and Marines so depend on,” Sisson said. Also, needed solutions go beyond weapons systems and may include infrastructure problems and logistics, such as “how do we transport a container from one ship to another while at sea,” Clark said. “It ranges from the most basic challenges to the very complex, very forward, front edge of technology,” he said.
UMW’s Dahlgren campus has set up space for the Tech Bridge and provided communication technology needed to share those innovations, said Michael Hubbard, executive director of education and research. Facilities include a workroom and office space with devices, computer screens and cameras that are “like a collaboration tool on steroids.” The technology “provides the capability that you’re not going to find outside the wire,” Hubbard said, meaning beyond a military installation. “Everyone can’t get on base but they can certainly come here,” Hubbard said. “When we bring partners together, we have the capacity to do a whole lot more than just one individual can do.”
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Virginia Expands Online Permitting Efficiencies
Virginia’s permit-tracking website has expanded from including permits from three state government departments to six, The Center Square reports.
Virginia residents and businesses can now follow online in real time the permits they’ve submitted to the Virginia Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and Department of Conservation and Recreation, as well as permits from the state Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Marine Resources Commission and Department of Energy.
“VPT is a game changer for Virginia businesses and citizens as well as state agencies,” said Director of the Office of Regulatory Management Reeve Bull. “It brings an unprecedented level of transparency to the permitting process and is already making life much easier for anyone tracking a Virginia permit.” Read more.
Virginia Offshore Wind Project Underway as Environmental Studies Continue
As Nature Conservancy marine scientist Brendan Runde motored into the Atlantic Ocean to study fish about 27 miles offshore from Virginia Beach, two 600-foot-tall wind turbines appeared in the distance. They steadily grew on the horizon, until one of them was towering over the comparatively tiny C-Hawk fishing boat Runde steered.
To catch the fish he was there to tag for his study, Runde had to keep the boat right beside the massive pilon – as the equally massive turbine blades swept by overhead.
“There’s 100 or 130 feet between the tip of the blade and the boat, but it doesn’t feel like that much when that thing’s coming down,” Runde said. “So, that’s pretty cool to experience.”
Runde is one of many scientists eager to fill in the remaining knowledge gaps around how the country’s growing offshore wind industry affects the environment. The turbine he was visiting was one of two “demonstration” units built in advance of Dominion Energy’s enormous Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) installation. Its construction got underway in earnest in May after the project received its final federal permit.
Once finished, with an estimated completion date of late 2026, it will be the largest wind energy installation in the US, in terms of both size and energy output. Its 176 turbines and three offshore substations will cover 112,800 acres, and it is expected to generate 2.6 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power at least 650,000 homes.
The project is in response to Virginia’s Clean Energy Act. The 2020 law demands that Dominion Energy deliver 100% of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2045. Read more in the Bay Journal.
NSPE’s Job Board is your one-stop resource for professional engineering employment. Whether you are on the hunt for your next career move or looking for today’s top engineering leaders and talent, you will find it here.
NSPE provides the tools PEs need to keep current in the profession and advance their careers.
Featured Jobs:
Civil Engineer – Richmond, VA
Codes Standards Director – Herndon, VA
Find more job openings or reach the right employees on the NSPE Job Board.
Stay up to date on legislative issues through the NSPE Advocacy Center
Get Enlightened and Inspired at NSPECon24
NSPECon24 (Raleigh, North Carolina, August 7-9) is the prime national event for professional engineers.
The conference will feature keynote speakers to provide inspiration and guidance to help elevate your career in addition to putting a spotlight on emerging issues within the industry.
Richie Parker, MBA, cofounder of Optimech Solutions, chief of staff of the University of Virginia football program, and former manager of government projects at Hendrick Motorsports, will open the conference with the session “Drive to Innovate.” He has been profiled by ESPN and often speaks to organizations about overcoming obstacles and facing adversity.
Paul Doherty, chairman and CEO of The Digit Group, will present the session “Unlocking the Metaverse: AI, Engineering the Future of Our Industry” to provide insight on emerging technologies and explore real-world solutions and projects that are challenging our industry.
Dan Heath, author and senior fellow, The Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE), Duke University, will present the session “RESET: How to Change What’s Not Working” to explore a framework for getting unstuck and making the changes that matter. Stay tuned for details on the opening keynote speaker.
Access the NSPECon24 program for more details on the keynote speakers and session topics.
NSPE’s Focus on Fostering Inclusivity and Professionalism
Inaugural Leadership Institute for Women PEs
NSPE’s Women Leadership Program is sponsoring the Leadership Institute for Women Professional Engineers, a three-day program designed to support mid-career women PEs in confidently navigating their career path and leveraging their leadership skills.
The institute agenda is interwoven into the NSPECon24 program with participants attending pre-conference opening sessions on Wednesday, August 7, and sessions the mornings of Thursday, August 8 and Friday, August 9, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Attendees must register for NSPECon24 to attend the institute. Access more information and register.
DEI or ‘die’—a Noteworthy Discussion
On June 12, NSPE’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Advisory Committee hosted a live webinar on the important topic of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the engineering profession. The presenters explored perspectives from engineers with diverse life experiences and discussed how including these voices can impact engineering practices and public safety. This thought-provoking webinar will challenge the notion of ‘best and brightest’ and underscore the importance of diverse viewpoints in engineering solutions. Members can access a recording free of charge.
New Resource to Attract and Retain Engineering Talent
A talent focused environment where the most skilled engineers succeed is crucial for driving creativity and problem-solving. NSPE has released the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Glossary of Terms, a valuable resource designed to provide a common understanding of essential workforce inclusivity terms, facilitating more effective and respectful discussions about talent acquisition, development, and collaboration across the engineering community. This glossary is the culmination of the dedicated work by the 2023-2024 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee to provide a tool for respectful communication, reinforcing NSPE’s core value of “Unity.” Access more information and resources here.
Spring Webinar Series On-Demand 
NSPE offers a live webinar series free to members—“Workability Wednesdays”— to support members with their professional development goals. Did you miss any of our spring webinars? No worries! The following sessions are now available on-demand:
- NSPE’s Board of Ethic Review Presents: The Duty to Act
- Second Best Protection Against Risk
- Enhancing Building Safety: Mitigating Risks of Slips, Trips, and Falls Access
- Lidar Illuminated: Revolutionizing Engineering Design and Building Analysis
- Designing Fire Protection Systems – The Role of the Engineer and Engineering Technician
- DEI or ‘die’—a Noteworthy Discussion.