APL-UW - The Director's Corner

December 2008

Though the past year has been a time of great change and uncertainty for the nation, I can report that APL-UW remains on a strong and steady course. The Laboratory's continuing health is due to our horizontal and vertical integration of research and development efforts. Interdisciplinary basic research programs are enhanced by connections to our home university campus and a global network of research collaborators. In 2008 we made exceptional strides in transitioning knowledge through research publications and presentations, teaching, and community outreach. More than ever, applied research and engineering are growing from fundamental science and being transitioned successfully to commercial ventures and to the U.S. Navy and other DoD agencies.

The Laboratory has reached significant milestones in meeting our needs for improved facilities and infrastructure. We launched the R/V Robertson, which will enhance our ability to field test ocean instrumentation and conduct experiments in Pacific Northwest waters. And we have secured laboratory and office space on the UW campus that will expand APL-UW's footprint by 35%.

Two prestigious awards bestowed on APL-UW staff in 2008 deserve special mention. Tom Sanford was named the 2008 Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Chair of Oceanographic Sciences. The award provides four years of research support for the Chair and at least two graduate students. Fred Karig received a British Royal Navy commendation for his leadership and bravery to save the life of a British sailor and provide support to the submarine HMS Tireless after an accident during the 2007 ice camp experiment in the Beaufort Sea.

Each year it my pleasure to present Director's Awards and Science & Engineering Awards to APL-UW staff. The 2008 Director's Award recipients are Gail Gilliland and the Purchasing Department team of Sam Auflick, Roberta Hollowell, Tom Kerrigan, Nic Plemel and Tina Stremick.

Gail is recognized for her unwavering and conscientious support in the project administration of the Lab's largest and most diverse department, Environmental and Information Systems, which has grown dramatically since her joining it. She has made exceptional contributions to the department's administration and has gone above and beyond any job requirement in her masterful preparation and execution of the annual ONR signal processing review.

The purchasing team enables APL-UW to succeed in its research and development mission by executing all operations related to the procurement of equipment, goods, and services. They embody a can-do and customer-oriented spirit and have built an extraordinary reputation in the Lab, on the UW campus, and with vendors and collaborators around the world.

Science and Engineering Awards are given for exemplary scientific and engineering achievement that strengthens the Lab's identity as a premier center for science and technology. Kristin Laidre, Polar Science Center, received the 2008 award for her exceptional contributions to the research of marine mammals, as well as her community outreach and service on international committees that have brought great credit to APL-UW. She has pioneered challenging studies of arctic whales and their environment and been prolific in publishing her findings.

Brian Marquardt, Environmental and Information Systems Department, also received a 2008 S&E Award. He leads an innovative team that is developing new instrumentation and real-time sensing capabilities for industrial, biologic, and environmental monitoring applications. He has pushed the limits of chemical sensing with revolutionary optical technologies to measure dissolved gases and geochemistry in remote and harsh environments.

Congratulations, all!

December 2007

In the past two years the Laboratory has taken on significant roles in major science and engineering projects that involve multiple APL-UW departments. Mobile and autonomous undersea surveillance, ocean observing systems, maritime security, photonics applications, and counter-terrorism efforts are some of the emerging areas of intense focus. We have encouraged collaboration, locally and regionally, in several of our research efforts, resulting in increased cooperation with other departments of the University of Washington, with university partners in Oregon, and with Washington State agencies, industries, and tribes. (See the Laboratory's 2007 Biennial Report for examples of these projects.)

APL-UW investigators execute world-class field programs covering the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, from the Pacific to Atlantic oceans, and from the Mediterranean to the Philippine seas. In spring 2007 we successfully supported the U.S. Navy's submarine under-ice exercises in the Arctic, and for 2007–2008 we are shifting emphasis towards scientific discovery for the International Polar Year. Our entrepreneurial activity is strong, and the latest spin-offs from the Laboratory bring us to a total of five companies in about as many years. (The Tech Transfer section of this website lists the start-up companies as well as research and development efforts that have resulted in patent filings and invention disclosures.)

Federal research funding for the Laboratory continues to grow. In response to this increased activity we have recruited some impressive new people to the APL-UW team and have made an investment to build up the Laboratory's infrastructure. So far we have developed new laboratories for experimentation, upgraded conference spaces, and are embarking on the construction of a new research vessel for the APL-UW fleet.

By any measure the recent years have been excellent ones for the Laboratory. Our notable discovery and invention would not have happened without the strong support of the U.S. Navy, especially the Office of Naval Research, and other key federal funding agencies, in particular, the National Science Foundation. I look forward to continuing these partnerships as we work together to meet our nation's greatest challenges.

It was my privilege to present Director's Awards and Science & Engineering Awards to APL-UW staff. Director's Awards recognize exceptional contributions to the Laboratory and expresses appreciation for jobs extremely well done.

The most recent Director's Award recipients:
Lori Ferro, Administrator at the Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound, for providing a superior level of service in project administration where grants and contracts involve collaboration with industry and universities, numerous subcontracts, and potential intellectual property conflicts.
Troy Tanner, Senior Computer Specialist in the Environmental and Information Systems Department, for tackling numerous graphics, interface design, animation and multimedia challenges for the Laboratory.
Gary Harkins, Head of the Electronic and Photonic Systems Department, for four decades of extraordinary service that has strengthened the Lab's relationship with the Navy, and for the recent team building to ensure the success of the wet-end engineering for the NSF regional-scale nodes observatory.
Brian Rasmussen and Kim Reading, Publications and Graphics team, for capturing the essence of APL-UW and enhancing our reputation in so many creative ways.

Science & Engineering Awards recognize extraordinary scientific and engineering achievements that have enhanced the Lab's reputation as a premier center for science and technology.

The most recent S&E Award recipients:
Jason Gobat and Geoff Schilling, for technical leadership in ocean glider development efforts, including acoustic recorder integration and developing under-ice glider capabilities.
Dajun Tang, for scientific discovery and instrumentation development in the field of shallow water acoustics, and for his major success as chief scientist of the ONR-sponsored Littoral Environmental Acoustics Research study.
Pierre Mourad, for his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit aimed at improving the human health condition using diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound techniques.

Jeffrey A. Simmen, Director

About the Director

Dr. Simmen began his duties as Director of the Laboratory in July 2003. He is the seventh Director in APL-UW's 60-year history. His career has been linked closely to the U.S. Navy. For ten years he led the Office of Naval Research Ocean Acoustics Program where he created a program that balanced experiment and theory, and included the disciplines of oceanography, signal processing, physics, engineering, and applied mathematics.

Dr. Simmen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 1977 with a degree in applied mathematics, earned an M.S. from Cornell University in theoretical and applied mechanics, and a Ph.D. from Caltech in applied mathematics.

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