By Rebecca Walker

TEAM Public Affairs, Patuxent River

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Five Naval Air Systems Command senior technologists were recently inducted in the new national NAVAIR Research and Engineering Fellows Program at the highest recognition level.

During the teamwide ceremony July 20, held in the atrium of the Moffett Building here, NAVAIR Commander Vice Adm. Joseph W. Dyer honored the first "esteemed fellow" inductees who are:

Dr. Jan Cannon-Bowers, Orlando, senior scientist with Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division.
John Thomas Lawrence Jr., Patuxent River, senior aeromechanics specialist with the Air Vehicle Department.
Dr. James B. Sheehy, Patuxent River, chief scientist/S&T manager of the Crew Systems Department.
Dr. Robert D. Smith, China Lake, chief engineer for the Weapons Target Department.
Dr. Laurence W. Stoll, Patuxent River, head of the Integrated Logistics Support/Operating and Support Division.
The new program was established to honor key individuals within NAVAIR’s engineering and scientific community who consistently demonstrate high engineering and scientific talents and are recognized as leading experts in their discipline. These individuals continuously make major contributions, exercise considerable originality and innovation, and advance their technical fields.

"This really is a big deal," said Dyer, who guided the 4.0 Organization and People Focus Group when the program was in its beginning stages in his former position as assistant commander for the AIR-4.0 Competency . "These are our greatest technical experts."

Achieving this honor puts these esteemed fellows in the top 0.25 percent of their peers in NAVAIR, which equates to about 13 out of 6,000 scientists and engineers assigned to the command.

Responsibilities of the inductees will include providing advice and counsel to AIR-4.0 and serving as advisers and mentors to the engineers and scientists. They may also recommend policy or process changes to the competency.

"The fellows program concept is not new," said Jesse McCurdy, deputy director for the Systems Engineering Department. McCurdy also introduced the esteemed fellows at the ceremony. "In fact for many years, our industry partners have had programs which allowed engineering and scientific employees to recognize peers who set the standard for technical leadership and scientific achievement."

There are three recognition levels in the program. The first is the NAVAIR senior engineer/NAVAIR senior scientist who is identified and selected through his/her national department.

The second level is the NAVAIR fellow who is recognized at the national group level.

The third level is the NAVAIR esteemed fellow who receives the highest technical honor NAVAIR can bestow.

Although it is not considered a full membership-tiered recognition level, the emeritus fellow provides for recognition for managerial or retired fellows. Dr. Allan Somoroff, NAVAIR deputy commander, was the first emeritus fellow honored at the ceremony.

"This is very meaningful to me," Somoroff told the audience. "The greatest joy and satisfaction is in working as part of and with the engineering community."

The fellows program is administered by the Fellows Administration Board. This board oversees all aspects of the program’s administration of the call for nominations, selection process, and individual awards and recognitions. The board is chaired by the NAVAIR Engineering Group Staff Office, AIR-4.0C, and it’s membership consists of individuals assigned to the AIR-4.0C staff and/or the Research & Engineering Group’s Organization & People Focus Group.

McCurdy said the task of these inductees, "is to pave the road for others to achieve the rank of esteemed fellow by taking the time to recruit, develop, retain and mentor the next generation of fellows candidates."

"The NAVAIR Research and Engineering Fellows Program gives these champions of technology a method to recognize their colleagues throughout NAVAIR and to become familiar to the technological achievements throughout the TEAM," McCurdy said. "Sharing our knowledge and recognizing the abilities of our bright new stars from the technical horizon is essential to breaking down the barriers of geographic dispersion, which is the key to NAVAIR's goal as One Team."

Dr. Laurence Stoll was pleased to be one of the inductees honored at the ceremony.

"It is an extraordinary honor," Stoll said. "I'm particularly proud because I'm representing the Cost Department. I'd like to make sure we continue the integration of engineering and logistics so we have the best possible naval aviation team."

"I am very grateful and appreciative of this honor, said Thomas Lawrence. It doesn't get any better than this."

Dr. James Sheehy shares credit with the Crew Systems Department he works with as one of the reasons for his success.

"My job and what I do is made so easy by my co-workers," he said.