News and Events

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 –…

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…

November 9, 2024 Our Research Assistant Professor and Cognitive Engineer, Dr. Jessica Johnson, and Curriculum Coordinator, Jennifer Renne, attended the Reimagine Nauticus Grand Opening Thursday night, as Mrs. Renne serves on the Nauticus Education Advisory Committee. Attendees got to explore the newly transformed exhibits and experiences and witness the opening ceremony of the new wing of maritime exhibits. “The new…

November 8, 2024 Our Senior Manager for Maritime Trades, John Snell, represented us at the AMPP: Association for Materials Protection and Performance Western Area Conference in San Diego this past week. He shared valuable insights on a Workforce Development panel, addressing workforce challenges in the hashtag#maritime trades, attracting new talent, embracing new technologies, and the critical role of mentorship. It…

We attended the Naval Station Norfolk 2024 Fleet Fest on Thursday, October 17, 2024. With the support of the Naval Station Norfolk Fire Department, we successfully set up our Aquatraks, the yellow portable mini towing tanks, just in time to welcome 6th graders from Portsmouth Public Schools. Students had the opportunity to design and test devices to transport cargo across…

The ASNE Tidewater Section generously awarded a $1,000 STEM grant to support VDMC’s upcoming Digital Ship Challenge. Chapter Chair Ken Blair and Treasurer Chuck Doty visited the ODU Virginia Modeling, Analysis, & Simulation Center (VMASC) building to present the grant to our Curriculum Coordinator, Jennifer Renne. This funding will directly benefit the participating teams in this year’s competition, which focuses…

VDMC was honored to be recognized at Chesapeake’s Grassfield High School Partnership Meeting and Appreciation Breakfast. We are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to collaborate and provide valuable experiences for their students, from field trips to see our labs and 3D printers, to the ModSimWorld Conference and Expo, and chances to connect with project scientists. Hearing how these experiences have…

Virginia Digital Maritime Center (VDMC) team members attended the National Naval Officers Association and the Association of Naval Service Officers 6th Annual Youth STEM Day at the USCG Base Portsmouth. Students in grades 7-12 spent the day at the Coast Guard Base Portmouth for STEM Day where they did hands-on activities including an underwater robotics exhibit, Newport News Shipbuilding’s MX…

Summer camp students at Lambert’s Point Community Center enjoyed a visit from the Virginia Digital Maritime Center (VDMC) on Aug. 1. The students designed a vessel to take their duck cargo across the ocean using Sphero Bolts. They also had to design a submarine and then a simple machine system that would raise and lower their submarine for repairs. There…