Students attending Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk visited Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) and one of the ships in the yard, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in Newport News, Oct. 18.
The students, enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering and Technologies (MET) program at ODU, toured the bow area of Lincoln and looked into the dry dock.
One of the students, Michael Kammerer, is a former machinist’s mate who worked on board USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in the Reactor Department as an Engineering Laboratory Technician.
“Being in this program is not only going to help me further my career in engineering, but because I have prior military experience I have hands-on training not many other students have,” said Kammerer.
At the shipyard the students were greeted by Gary Fuller, construction director at NNS.
“I was very excited to meet these students,” said Fuller. “I am a graduate of the ODU MET program as well.”
Fuller talked to the students about the various jobs engineers have aboard the ship and in the shipyard.
“Understanding what engineers do while in a shipyard is vital for my career,” said Kammerer. “I plan on moving to Florida and working in a commercial shipyard, and having this experience helps out greatly.”
Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) facilitators organized the visit with NNS directors to not only educate the students but also show them what the shipyard has to offer from an educational and occupational standpoint.
“Seeing what the shipyard has to offer from the civilian point of view is very beneficial,” said Kammerer.
Lincoln is currently undergoing a refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at NNS.
Lincoln is the fifth ship of the Nimitz-class to undergo an RCOH, a major life-cycle milestone. Once RCOH is complete, Lincoln will be one of the most modern and technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the fleet and will continue to be a vital part of the nation’s defense.
[mappress] Press Release, October 22, 2013