On June 15, 2022, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) and Rowan University presented their joint research on cryogenic dielectric materials to the Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC) during NEEC Day 2022, held at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division in Newport, Rhode Island. This collaboration exemplifies the NEEC program’s mission: to conduct targeted university research addressing Navy technology needs while providing students with hands-on experience under faculty and Warfare Center mentorship.
NEEC operates across Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers with three core objectives—acquiring academic research results to meet Navy challenges, recruiting talented students, and fostering strong relationships with engineering institutions. The program supports NAVSEA’s effort to maintain a sustainable talent pipeline for naval engineering.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Engineering Dr. Brett Seidle opened the event virtually, stating, “What we’re doing plays a critical role in achieving goals on multiple fronts. It’s strengthening the cadre of scientists we have and strengthening our partnerships with academia. Warfare Centers bring technical capability to the Navy and the nation. Our impact on success will be about technical advantage. It’s important to have innovation. This program allows us to build strong bridges. There are 440 science and engineering students participating in NEEC efforts. If you’re working on our Navy’s problems right now, we’d love to have you come work for us.”
NSWCPD’s Education Partnership Agreement with Rowan University facilitates this collaboration, enabling the loan of specialized hardware, opportunities for NSWCPD engineers to teach at Rowan, and joint research activities. According to NSWCPD’s Deputy Chief Technology Officer and NEEC Director Dr. Steve Mastro, “Rowan was competitively chosen to provide research and educational mentoring to students dealing with the research and engineering of components vital to cryogenic superconducting systems.” Over four years, principal investigators Dr. Wei Xue and Dr. Robert Krchnavek led a team of 52 undergraduates and five graduate students addressing challenges in materials, cable coatings, connectors, and cryogenic system components, where extreme low temperatures impose unique constraints.
Working closely with NSWCPD experts including Dr. Jake Kephart and Pete Ferrara, Rowan contributed significantly to the Navy’s design knowledge in these technologies, producing numerous technical papers and presentations. Mechanical engineering student Jacob Mahon represented the team at NEEC Day 2022, presenting their project on developing cryogenic dielectrics for superconductors. The research focuses on polymer nanocomposites with enhanced dielectric strength and reduced thermal contraction at cryogenic temperatures—critical for insulating superconducting cables that could improve future shipboard power systems.
Rowan’s NEEC work is structured as a clinic project, the university’s capstone course, bringing together 16 students from mechanical, chemical, and electrical engineering disciplines. This multidisciplinary team designs experiments and evaluates nano-enhanced polymer insulating materials under cryogenic conditions. NSWCPD’s Applied Superconductivity Team Lead Peter Ferrara noted, “Overall the developments and experiments were successful and this may be leading to additional development directly with the Office of Naval Research (ONR) via a grant to the university. The team at NSWCPD is fostering these conversations between Rowan and ONR.”
NSWCPD Chief Technology Officer Dr. Michael Golda emphasized that Rowan’s research advanced understanding of insulating superconductive cables at cryogenic temperatures, documented through three journal publications, six conference papers, and five master’s theses. Dr. Mastro added that mentoring students often leads them toward Navy careers aligned with their interests.
Joseph Nalbach, a Rowan NEEC alumnus now working at NSWCPD, reflected, “NEEC definitely interested me in a career with the Navy. It gave me hope that there would be a professional work environment that lined up with what I wanted to do. NEEC focuses on projects and customers. It forces you to ask yourself how would you actually manufacture this, how would you design this so that it could exist outside of the lab.” After joining NSWCPD as an In-Service Engineering Agent for Littoral Combat Ship Mission Control Systems, Nalbach rotated into the Applied Superconductivity Team and now works full-time in the Applied Superconductivity Lab.
NSWCPD’s collaborations span topics from power and energy to machinery prognostics, control systems, battery management, cybersecurity, and ship fasteners. Dr. Mastro highlighted that such programs develop local talent and recruit engineers already experienced in naval technology. NSWCPD employs approximately 2,800 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff, conducting R&D, testing, acquisition support, and in-service engineering for non-nuclear ship machinery systems, while also leading cybersecurity efforts for all ship systems.