VDMC and OERI Team Members Attend US Navy and US Marine Corps’ 250th Anniversary Celebration in Philadelphia
October 14, 2025
VDMC and ODU Office of Enterprise Research and Innovation (OERI) team members were in Philadelphia to celebrate the US Navy and United States Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary. They were there to support the Maritime Industrial Base Program (MIB) in their workforce development efforts to highlight maritime careers, especially trades and engineering, at the three-day Innovation Pavilion event, hosted at Cherry Street Pier.
During the event organized by DVIRC, VDMC and OERI team members were set up at the Build Giants booth to showcase the Maritime Education Hub and Maritime Training Hub. They engaged attendees with a hands-on pipefitting activity and a touchscreen holographic pipefitting game designed by Old Dominion University students and faculty. Both activities emphasized math, measurement, and the interpretation of technical drawings.
On Saturday, dozens of middle and high school students were there for the STEM Fair and STEM competitions. Many of these students stopped by the Build Giants booth to see all the latest technology and take part in the hands-on activities.
VDMC and OERI team members even got the chance to climb aboard Princeton University‘s electric boat, the fastest in the world!
This was a rewarding event that we were excited to be part of and to support MIB’s workforce development as we prepare the next generation of maritime professionals through education and training tools to help serve the current and emerging maritime workforce.
