All News & Events
VDMC Volunteers at “Weld It, Build It, Sail It – Reimagined Maritime Career Festival” at the Nauticus
VDMC volunteered at the the “Weld It, Build It, Sail It – Reimagined Maritime Career Festival” at the Nauticus in May. Team members had a STEM station set up right outside the front doors where people of all ages could design and build a barge out of everyday materials for a Sphero Bolt robot to tow a shipping container and…
VDMC Attends ODU Inaugural Knowledge & Creativity Expo
Nearly 200 undergraduate and Eastern Virginia Medical School students, as well as more than 30 faculty teams, participated in the Old Dominion University Inaugural Knowledge & Creativity Expo in April – a celebration of innovation, research, and academic collaboration. This was a great opportunity for attendees to explore, learn, and network, as well as view poster and hands-on presentations of…
John Snell Participates in Panel at AMPP: Association for Materials Protection
Senior Program Manager for Maritime Trades, John Snell, represented VDMC at the AMPP: Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) Conference & Expo in Nashville in April, where he joined a distinguished panel on Workforce Development. As our nation faces critical workforce shortages in the submarine industrial base, this conversation couldn’t be more timely. John shared strategic insights, alongside other…
Next Generation of Maritime Leaders and Workforce Show Innovation and Engineering Design Skills at ODU Virginia Digital Maritime Center (VDMC) Second Annual Digital Ship Challenge
The Virginia Digital Maritime Center (VDMC) hosted the Second Annual Digital Ship Challenge on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Over 75 Hampton Roads high school students participated in the challenge where teams were tasked with designing and building an innovative support vessel that can maintain stability at sea. Students utilize engineering design, innovation, ship design and construction, research and statistics to…
Jessica Galassie Attends National Shipbuilding Research Program All Panel Meeting
In February, VDMC’s Senior Program Manager for Technology Insertion, Jessica Galassie, represented VDMC at the NSRP National Shipbuilding Research Program All Panel Meeting in Charleston, SC. This biennial event unites all nine NSRP panels to recently concluded and ongoing R&D projects, address technology gaps, and share best practices in ship design, construction, and modernization. Beyond innovation, this is an opportunity…
VDMC Hosts Digital Ship Challenge Mid-Year Review
In late December 2024, VDMC hosted 22 teams from Landstown High School, Advanced Technology Center, Hampton High School, Heritage High School, Grassfield High School, and Western Branch High School for the Digital Ship Challenge Mid-Year Review. Students received guidance, instructions, and expectations for their vessel for the Challenge, which takes place in March 2025. Teams have been challenged to construct…
VDMC Tours Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing
VDMC team members had the opportunity to tour the cutting-edge smart manufacturing research facility at the CCAM – Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, one of our valued partners in the Virginia Smart Manufacturing Accelerator project. We’re excited about the future of this collaboration and the advancements it will bring to the industry. Thanks to CCAM for hosting us – we…
VDMC Attends DoD Maintenance Symposium
December 12, 2024 Our Senior Program Manager for Technology Insertion Jessica Galassie, MBA is attending the United States Department of Defense Maintenance Symposium in Salt Lake City, UT. SAE International has hosted an amazing show to bring all the ArmedServices, DoD contractors, and academia together to bring solutions to sustainment, repair, and supply chain challenges. Thank you to NCMS –…
VDMC’s Gul Ayaz Showcases Serious Game at 2024 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC)
December 3, 2024 Senior Project Scientist Gul Ayaz is making waves at hashtag I/ITSEC 2024 with her incredible serious game submission, Building Resilient Communities, which has been selected as a finalist in the 2024 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C)! This immersive game puts players in the shoes of policymakers tasked with creating resilient communities to combat the challenges of…