NAWCWD provides half of NAVAIR's new Fellows

Scientists and engineers from NAWCWD celebrate after the NAVAIR Fellows Program induction ceremony Sept. 29. Pictured in the front row from left are inductees Dr. Fred Blomshield and Dr. Kelvin Higa. In the back row from left are NAWCWD ceremony host Dr. Rod Ditzler, and inductees Jose Tristan, Mike Wirtz and Elsa Hennings. Inductee Stephen Preiss attended the ceremony at NAVAIR headquarters in Patuxent River, Md. Inductee Dr. Lowell Wilkins was not available for the ceremony. Photo by Dan O'Connor.

Date: 04-Oct-10
News Release Number: ECL201010041

NAVAIR inducted 14 scientists and engineers into its Fellows Program during a ceremony Sept. 29 at its headquarters in Patuxent River, Md.

Seven of the 14 were from Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. They were Dr. Fred Blomshield, Elsa Hennings, Dr. Kelvin Higa, Stephen Preiss, Jose Tristan, Dr. Lowell Wilkins and Michael Wirtz.

"You represent the finest minds of naval aviation," said Scott O'Neil, acting NAVAIR deputy commander. "Your selection is the truest testimony to the value, leadership and vision that you have brought to naval aviation in the past, and it also comes with an expectation that you are going to continue to add such value in the future."

NAWCWD participated in the ceremony via simultaneous video telecast at China Lake. Dr. Rod Ditzler, a Full Fellow in the Avionics Department, hosted the ceremony at China Lake and Alice Atwood, a Full Fellow in the Weapons and Energetics Department, assisted with the presentations.

The new inductees were recognized in the Fellows Program at the silver level. They had been previously selected as Associate Fellows and are now considered Full Fellows. Membership at the Full Fellow level is limited to the top .75 percent of NAVAIR's engineering and scientist population.

"This is truly an elite group," said Dr. James Sheehy, Esteemed Fellow and host of the induction ceremony at Pax River.

Blomshield is currently the branch head of the Combustion Sciences Branch of the Weapons and Energetics Department at China Lake. He leads a group of 22 scientists and engineers who perform research in the areas of energetic materials (EM) combustion, EM hazards, EM combustion diagnostics, combustion modeling, air breathing combustion and ship board fire sciences. During his 28 years at China Lake, Blomshield has become DOD's expert in study of acoustic combustion instability in solid rocket motors.

Hennings, of the Human Systems Department (AIR-4.6) at China Lake, is nationally recognized as a parachute subject matter expert. She has designed parachute systems for payloads ranging from tiny micro-munitions to large supersonic targets, from severable crew capsules to bailout systems for Navy aircrew and Space Shuttle astronauts. Hennings is frequently called in as a parachute consultant on national programs including Mars Exploration Rover, Mars Science Laboratory and NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle.

Higa, of the Research and Intelligence Department (AIR-4.12) at China Lake, specializes in Inorganic Energetic Materials and Organometallic Chemistry. During his first 15 years at China Lake, Higa investigated the organometallic chemistry of precursors for semiconductor materials that resulted in 16 patents. During the last 10 years, his work has focused on inorganic energetic materials including nanomaterials and metal fuels.

Preiss, of the Support Equipment and Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Department (AIR-4.8) at Point Mugu, is currently the Fleet Support Team lead for Electronic Warfare (EW) Support Equipment Automated Test Equipment (ATE). He is nationally recognized as a technical authority on both weapons and aircraft ATE. Preiss was instrumental in designing, developing and obtaining a government patent for the Modular Mobile Power Converter which was used in support of the Joint Direct Attack Munition deployment on board conventional and nuclear aircraft carriers. He was also the lead engineer in the development of CASS test program sets for the Next Generation Weather Radar System.

Tristan, of the Avionics Department (AIR-4.5) at Point Mugu, specializes in electronic attack. He is internationally recognized as a technical authority on electronic warfare specializing in EA-6B/EA-18G jamming techniques, tactics, effectiveness, radar threat systems and their Electronic Counter Counter Measures. Tristan has worked for the JAmming Technique Optimization (JATO) organization from the start of his career to the present. He is currently the only remaining member from the original JATO team who started in 1984. Tristan currently serves as the JATO radar electronic attack lead.

Wilkins, of the Weapons and Energetics Department (AIR-4.7) at China Lake, is recognized as a technical expert on infrared sensors. He has served as lead infrared seeker engineer during design/development of Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM), SLAM-Extended Range, Tri-Service Standoff Attack Missile, Joint Standoff Weapon C-1, Joint Direct Attack Munition/Hornet Autonomous Real-time Targeting, and Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)-II missiles. Wilkins has also developed numerous mathematical models to predict performance of infrared seekers in the presence of degraded weather and countermeasures.

Wirtz, of the Systems and Engineering Department (AIR-4.1) at China Lake, specializes in tactical fires. He has operational expertise in targeting to include controlling fixed wing, rotary wing and gunship aircraft in a close air support (CAS) role and U.S. Army Artillery Fires. His expertise also includes battlefield mensuration of coordinates, Collateral Damage Estimation rings, Gridded Reference Graphics, and No Strike List points required for kinetic kills. Wirtz has participated in multiple live-fire events including third-party retargeting of Tomahawks, GMLR launches, and multiple CAS exercises.

"Becoming a NAVAIR Fellow takes you to another level," said Vice Adm. David Architzel, NAVAIR commander. "Even more will be expected of you now and we will count on you to imprint your knowledge on junior scientists and engineers so they might follow your example."

The NAVAIR Fellows Program began in 2000 and is a peer-oriented technical recognition program. Fellows are recognized technical experts who consistently make significant technical contributions while exercising considerable originality and innovation to advance their areas of expertise. A NAVAIR Fellow is the program's second tier of technical recognition. The first tier is NAVAIR Associate Fellow, while the third and highest tier is NAVAIR Esteemed Fellow.

"What you do is important to the men and women in naval aviation," Architzel said to the Fellows. "They depend on you to design, test, field and sustain aircraft and weapon systems that give them a decided advantage over their adversaries."

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