Forging the Future: NSWC Crane’s OPERA Program Develops Cutting-Edge Technology and Talent

Forging the Future: NSWC Crane's OPERA Program Develops Cutting-Edge Technology and Talent

By NSWC Crane Corporate Communications

The Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC), a program established by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), is successfully developing and attracting new talent to the technical fields essential for the U.S. Navy's future. Through strategic partnerships with universities, the NEEC facilitates cutting-edge research in areas of naval interest, directly benefiting the fleet and its warfighters.

NSWC Crane's leadership has strategically leveraged the NEEC to advance technologies aligned with its mission. Dr. Kyle Werner, NSWC Crane Deputy Technical Director, noted, "Modern sensor and weapon systems have a near insatiable demand for computational efficiency, and silicon-based computing has a variety of limitations. Photonic computing and photonic integrated circuits represent an emergent opportunity for increased computational efficiency."

A prime example of this strategy is the OPERA (Optical and Photonic Engine enabling Real-time Algorithms) project, which included students Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Science and Mathematics for Research Transformation (SMART) Scholars. Created utilizing both NEEC talent and Naval Innovative Science and Engineering (NISE) funding, OPERA is focused on accelerating the transition of photonic computing from academic research into practical U.S. Navy systems. "The goal of the OPERA program is to design, build, and demonstrate photonic processing chips, scalable to exceed electrical compute performance," said Dr. Joshua Borneman, NSWC Crane's OPERA director. He explained that a hybrid of electrical and photonic elements will likely offer the most speed and efficiency for future computing needs, enhancing the performance and lowering the latency of many sensor technologies NSWC Crane supports. This provides a critical technological edge for naval modernization and readiness.

Beyond technological advancement, the NEEC program serves as a vital framework for workforce development. "The NEEC program has provided a framework for research engagement with top research laboratories across the country," said Dr. Bryan Woosley, NSWC Crane NEEC Director. "Most importantly, it has provided an opportunity to support undergraduate and graduate researchers who often discover their passion for supporting our nation's security as civilian scientists and engineers."

Dr. Woosley emphasized that NEEC is particularly effective when students participate in other programs like SMART or the Naval Research and Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP), allowing them to arrive at Crane with a deep understanding of the technical challenges they will face.

Jonathon Myers, a SMART scholar who worked directly on OPERA, credited these programs for his career path. "I am so grateful to both the SMART and NEEC programs for showing me the tremendous opportunities here at Crane, such as OPERA, this project has been instrumental in guiding my career to a place of employment I hadn't considered before," said Dr. Myers.

Dr. Woosley believes that without NEEC, there would be "no meaningful way to engage university research professors and no way to support student researchers in our workforce development pipeline." The program remains an integral tool for developing both the technology and the talent needed to give the nation's warfighters a decisive advantage.

Note: photos provided by RPI (external partner academic institution, Usage of their photos with the proper attribution has been attained)

About NSWC Crane | NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electromagnetic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi-spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.