NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER WEAPONS DIVISION CHINA LAKE, Calif. - John Manion, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Survivability Assessment Branch head, recently received the Wayne E. Meyer Award for Excellence in Systems Engineering for Outstanding Academic Achievement upon graduating from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) on Sept. 25 in Monterey, California.

The Meyer award, named after the late Adm. Meyer, is presented to an outstanding Department of Defense NPS graduate of the systems engineering degree program who has demonstrated superior academic performance. Recipients are nominated by fellow classmates and NPS Systems Engineering faculty.

“When I found out I got the award, I was really taken aback,” Manion said. “I was very surprised, but proud because when I’d initially met all of the students in my cohort I thought, ‘Wow, I have a lot of keeping up to do.’”

As a survivability subject matter expert and division site lead, Manion focuses on how people, processes, logistics, hardware and software play a part in the success of a system. He admits that connecting this degree with his job has expanded the way he looks at systems as a whole.

“This program taught me to look at systems differently,” Manion said. “We do aircraft survivability here, so I saw this as an opportunity to apply some of the things I‘ve learned to enhance survivability analysis and design at all phases of the system life cycle. I feel that with this knowledge, I can improve the processes we use and add value to the work I do here.”

The Joint Executive Systems Engineering Management Master’s Program is a highly selective distance learning program that requires students to attend two web-based classes a week for most of the program. Despite his hectic work schedule, Manion excelled in his studies while transitioning to his current position.

“Balancing work, school, my thesis, and my personal life was a challenge over the last two years, but I managed to do it while maintaining a 4.0 GPA,” Manion said. “What worked for me was setting aside time to focus on schoolwork and my thesis. It wasn’t easy, but it was very rewarding. My wife’s support made all of the difference.”