The U.S. Navy recently invited Assistant Professor Jennifer Linville and Purdue Polytechnic Institute Dean Daniel Castro to join nuclear field officers on educator orientation visits (EOVs) aboard several high-tech naval vessels.
“The Navy sometimes invites educators, researchers and experts from multiple institutions to participate in a kind of aquatic symposium at sea,” said Linville, an assistant professor in the Purdue Institute of Technology’s School of Technology Leadership and Innovation. . “This was the first time I had had the opportunity to do something like this, and they found my current workforce development research, particularly with the SCALE project, to be really fascinating and promising. Much of the work is related to the Navy’s workforce development efforts, including training and developing highly knowledgeable and skilled crews for submarines like the U.S. submarine fleet.”
SCALE (Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement Project) is a Purdue-led effort to manage and overcome challenges in the initial effort to create a fully American semiconductor manufacturing industry. One such challenge is to develop a highly specialized workforce for distinct research and practice areas of microelectronics engineering. Linville will participate in the SCALE project in 2021, conducting research aimed at supporting SCALE, including assessing workforce and technical needs in the radiation hardening technology field, research related to the development of work-ready microelectronics engineers, and research aimed at supporting SCALE. Supported workforce development through various research streams, including: Commitment to student success.
The visit with the Navy included a day aboard the USS San Diego, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport and docking ship, and a day aboard the USS Louisiana. USS Louisiana is an Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). On their respective ships, Mr. Castro and Mr. Linville had the opportunity to observe operations and processes during both normal and emergency situations, and witness the comprehensive training provided to Navy personnel. The group also visited the submarine training facility at Point Loma in San Diego and observed port training and operations.
“It was a great experience,” Castro said. “The real educational value of this trip was to familiarize the faculty with the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Cadet Program, which allows students to receive a monthly salary to support their education while also providing a world-class nuclear propulsion cadet program. You will have the opportunity to participate in the program.”
The program, also known as NUPOC, gives students the freedom to work towards an undergraduate or advanced degree in exchange for the promise of a future job as a naval nuclear power officer. Participants are not required to participate in any other military-related program, such as ROTC. They are free to live a typical boarding college life without training or uniforms until after graduation.
Purdue University President Moon Chan said his goal is to “make Purdue the nation’s premier national defense and security university.” Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s continued military partnerships that “synchronize” technical disciplines with advanced warfighting techniques is a practical step toward achieving such status, Linville said.
“If you look at the NUPOC program, some of these students are eligible for large scholarships.The military recognizes how valuable some of these skills are, and during the visit, We have made it very clear that we are willing to invest in the up-and-coming talent we need to make our military capabilities work properly.”
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