NSWC Panama City Division, University of Iowa partner on research to better protect sailors

NSWC Panama City Division, University of Iowa partner on research to better protect sailors

By Jeremy Roman, NSWC PCD Public Affairs

In the ongoing effort to maximize warfighter readiness, new data is emerging from a partnership between Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) and the University of Iowa. Sam Murphy, a doctoral candidate and Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) participant, is focused on quantifying the physical strain sailors endure while operating in full IPE. His initial experiment titled The Evaluation of Human Performance in the Presence of Individual Protective Equipment (IPE), on July 22, 2025, represented a critical first step in a larger journey to understand and mitigate the physiological burdens of protective gear for chemical, biological, radiological defense (CBRD) responses, a project with potential fleet-wide implications.

Donning wearable sensors that transmitted data, sailors wore physical training clothing and mission-oriented protective posture gear. They performed treadmill, free-standing and cycling kinetic trials.

"This work is important because protective gear is meant to keep sailors safe in hazardous conditions, but if it also limits natural movement or increases physical strain, it can create additional challenges during critical tasks," said Murphy. "By studying these effects, I hope to support the development of equipment that not only provides protection, but also allows sailors to work safely, effectively, and with greater confidence."

The NSWC PCD Personal Protective Equipment Branch's (Code S24) mission is to enable naval forces to operate and prevail even in a CBR contested environment. Tammy Stundon, Code S24 Non-Aviation CBRD-IPE Acquisition Engineering Agent, emphasized how this collaboration can directly impact refining factors-like work and rest cycles, for example-by using the information being collected.

"This project isn't about the overall equipment design itself, but how we can help our service members execute and continue the mission is what this research will truly impact," said Stundon. "Our collaboration with bright minds like Sam Murphy, through invaluable programs such as NREIP and the Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC), underscores the critical importance of internships. It demonstrates a powerful two-way street: academia gains insight into real-world defense challenges, and we, in turn, can rapidly transition cutting-edge research to protect our warfighters."

NEEC funds project-based research at universities, targeting the Navy's technological needs and creating opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience alongside Navy engineers. Dr. Matthew Bays, NSWC PCD NEEC director, highlights how this research aims to innovate strategic understanding.

"We have a good understanding of how to compare two gear sets for protection, but not for comparing how much the gear fatigues the sailors and decreases their mobility," said Bays. "The research is developing tools to quantify these non-protection 'trade-offs', so that we may increase the effectiveness and lethality of our naval forces for a given level of protection."

The next research phase is underway at the University of Iowa where firefighter PPE is being evaluated using a framework like the one applied to IPE. The data collection is ongoing and is expected to be completed by May 2026, with the goal of developing metrics to better understand and quantify how PPE or IPE alters performance.