PEP is well underway at 25 universities across the country! We are excited to see all the student ingenuity as they address this open-ended engineering challenge with a variety of innovative designs. In addition, our outreach at The Battery Show and Fleet Maintenance Modernization Symposium are creating strong industry-university connections. Companies: Now is the time to support these teams full of your next hires!

Welcome aboard to these new schools joining the PEP competition:

• United States Naval Academy
• North Carolina State
• William & Mary
• University of Connecticut
• Christopher Newport
• University of Rhode Island
• University of Maryland
• University of Wisconsin - Madison
• Florida Atlantic University
• Florida Institute of Technology

Some of the PEP community were able to gather on the Eastern Shore for the twenty-second Annual Wye Island Challenge. The race included an acceleration challenge and the 24-mile endurance race around the island. It was great to see the new U.S. Naval Academy craft take first place, and Washington College finish second.

Here are some images from a great day at the Wye Island Race in St. Michaels, MD.

Remembering Race Day 2022

Each team at Pohick Bay did an amazing job persevering through challenges and finding ways to maximize success. Please upload any photos and videos here as we compile these celebrations over the weekend. Thank YOU for making PEP successful!

We are continuing to build pages that show each team's strengths and needs. Please let us know how we can better capture your team's progress and 2023 goals, so we can collaborate on building your financial and mentor networks next year. You can see all these pages in the PEP 2022 Competition Celebration.

Overview

Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) for Small Craft is an educational and competitive program to foster the development of electric boats in the United States. College teams are granted up to $7,000 and put in touch with mentors and online learning to ensure they can safely construct an electric-powered boat that can complete a five-mile race. The third PEP competition was held May 26, 2022 at Pohick Bay, VA. We look forward to hosting the fourth competition during the Multi-Agency Craft Conference on June 27, 2023.

Before you head back to school, we invite you to join us at these exciting events (free for undergrads):

• June 1-3 (San Diego, CA): MegaRust is conducted annually to provide a consolidated focus on Navy corrosion issues. Corrosion is a major factor in the readiness and total ownership cost of naval systems and this conference is intended to provide updated information on programs, policies, standards and Fleet experience related to corrosion and to promote discussion and sharing of information on technologies and strategies for controlling corrosion. Registeration is now closed.
• June 14-16 (Philadelphia, PA): ASNE’s Technology, Systems and Ships (TSS) Symposium will be highlighting inspirational women mentors and STEM advocates. This event will present a diverse set of speakers. Topics that are planned to be addressed include Women in Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Workforce development, training and building the next generation of naval engineers. Registeration is now closed.
• July 20-21 (Philadelphia, PA): Advanced Machinery Technology Symposium (AMTS) offers technical presentations, expert panels, and networking opportunities to our community of professionals. Join us for part or all of this conference. Registeration is now closed.

Looking ahead to PEP 2023!

ASNE is excited to announce that we are inviting student leaders to join the PEP Leadership Committee. Possible roles include establishing Race Regulations, Marketing & Outreach, and Supporting New Teams. Please complete this survey to volunteer for this exciting leadership opportunity:

• PEP 2023 Survey (Leadership Opportunity & Date questions)

Thank you to all the teams that have found a few minutes to debrief with us and help strengthen the competition. As we discussed in these one-on-one sessions and dockside at Pohick, we are looking forward to adding a Design Review component to the competition next year. We are also considering ways to make the race safer and the design process more supported. Together, we are strengthening this competition as a community—continuing the spirit of cooperation that we see every time we get together. We truly want to hear from you this summer if you have the time. Just shoot us an email and we will find the time!

We want to say THANK YOU one more time to everyone that made the May 26 competition at Pohick Bay such a success. We are looking forward to working with you in the Fall and seeing the teams compete in Norfolk next May. If there is anything we can do to help you professionally or help your team this summer, please shoot us an email.

In the meantime, here is the article Mike wrote for the Naval Engineers Journal and the day-of video he recorded.

Throughout this school year, ASNE has promoted electric propulsion through a grant from the Office of Naval Research. College teams participating in the Promoting Electric Program (PEP) receive $7,000 to design, build, test, and race their craft in a five-mile race. In addition, these teams are closely connected to ASNE's scholarship program, section meetings, and our various symposia. ASNE provides job/internship information to the competitors and matches these dedicated engineers to jobs in our industry. On May 26, these activities came to a head in Pohick Bay off the Potomac River for an exciting day of competition and comradery of manned and unmanned races.

In the manned competition, Washington College's beautiful wooden craft took first place completing the five miles in 22 minutes, 38 seconds. There ice water-cooled electric motor had more than enough power, and their battery packs had plenty of storage. In second place, Old Dominion University completed nearly the entire race in 25 minutes and 29 seconds. Using four marine batteries in series and propeller on a five-foot-long axle, the team reflected their dedication and ingenuity. As team lead Daniel Erdogan said, “It's not the size of the team, it's the size of the heart within the team.” In third place, first year competitors from Pittsburgh put in a solid performance completing 3 miles in 37:13. Zodiac Milpro generously donated their inflatable craft which served as the foundation for a solid design that can be improved by the dozens of teammates that came together this year to form the team. North Carolina A&T put in a solid showing with their ruggedly-designed craft; they had more than enough power to complete the five miles and put in a great showing. The Princeton manned craft had great power, but suffered issues during the race—the team is on the right track for true In the week before the event, Wake Forest University blew out a shaft coupler and the University of Georgia had connections issues and did not make it to the start line. The Kentucky team showed true grit modifying their unmanned design to go manned, overcoming a wiring issue in their initial heat, and put in a solid three mile performance through their ingenuity and dedication.

In the unmanned competition, the stellar team from Texas A&M set the overall PEP record, completing the five miles in 17 minutes, 42 seconds. This team came together quickly this year and began testing early in the Fall semester. With two seniors and three underclassmen in attendance, this team showed engineering excellence throughout the year. In second place, Stevens Institute narrowly edged out Johns Hopkins University. Both teams created strong designs but faced mid-race challenges that necessitated quick thinking and fast repairs by the operators of the craft. The University of Michigan Electric Boat team brought an impressive 550-kg, hydrofoil design, and worked tirelessly to get it into the water. Sadly, water found its way into their motors and they were unable to compete. Princeton's unmanned craft demonstrated raw power, appearing to top 25 knots. However, the system needed a bit more refinement in order to compete on the race course. Virginia Tech also brought their unmanned craft but burned up too many ESCs to compete.

PEP needs you! Teams can use mentorship and technical expertise as well as in-kind and financial donations to help them build their crafts. This year, ASNE's STEM Fund covered the cost of food and drinks, and we look forward to providing a more robust competitor experience during PEP 2023 in Virginia Beach. If you can help us grow, please reach out to education@navalengineers.org.

Before you head back to school, we invite you to join us at these exciting events (free for undergrads):

• June 14 (Arlington, VA): Representative Rob Wittman (VA-01), House Armed Services Committee, Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Ranking Member, will join the ASNE community to share his thoughts on current congressional affairs. After his presentation, there will be an extensive networking session. Free registration for all attendees.
• June 16 (Arlington, VA): Women in Engineering keynote and panel with Workforce Development panel to follow. Speakers include Ms. Margaret G. Palmieri, SES, DOD Deputy Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO); Ms. Anne Sandel, SES, Principal Civilian Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition; Mrs. Stephanie Hill, Executive Vice President of Rotary & Mission Systems, Lockheed Martin; Dr. Sandy Magnus, former NASA Astronaut, former DOD Deputy Director, OSD Undersecretary, Research & Engineering, and former NASA Astronaut; Ms. Matice Wright-Springer, Senior Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton, former Naval Aviator (TACAMO); RADM Tony Lengerich, USN (Ret.), former ASNE President; Chris Deegan, former President & CEO, Gibbs & Cox; Scott Porter, Director-Strategic Initiatives, Thales Defense & Security, Inc.; Dr. Leigh McCue, Associate Professor, George Mason University, former ASNE Executive Director; and Admiral John Richardson, USN (Ret.), former Chief of Naval Operations. Register now!

The Office of Naval Research & ASNE community are excited for Thursday, May 26

ASNE and our sponsors at the Office of Naval Research are excited to see you on May 26 to celebrate another year of Promoting Electric Propulsion. We know your manned and unmanned designs took lots of work and you are still testing to maximize your race day success. Remember that this race is as much about endurance as it is about speed; you may want to find speeds and battery usage rates that focus on protecting your system rather than maxing out your design.

Over the course of this week, we are uploading materials to maximize your race-day experience and ensure you know exactly where to go. Two requests:

1. If you haven't signed the race-day regulations, please download and sign it.
2. We are excited to greet your guests, please email me with a head count so we can be prepared.

We have been working hard with our industry partners to match PEP participants with open job opportunities. If you did not complete the job-finding survey in the Spring, please email your resume, web address for your LinkedIn page, and any geographic/job role information that is important. We are excited to help you take those next steps, and the ASNE community is not only providing food and water during the event, they are excited to help you transition into our exciting industry.

Still looking for work? Review these positions and email us for help.

See you at Pohick Bay on Thursday, May 26, 2022!

We are excited to announce that the 2022 competition will be held at Pohick Bay Regional Park in Occoquan, Virginia on May 26, 2022. The images in this tab show that the water is a protected bay off of the Potomac River, and we have visited the site enough to know that the water behaves very similarly to Arundel Creek, so the 2021 competition videos are still a good representation of the water conditions you should anticipate on race day. We have also expanded the awards available to teams. Please see the "2022 Competition Information" and "Competition Rules" tabs for these updated details.

Quick PEP Video Introduction

We are so excited to host our competition at Pohick Park on Thursday, May 26, 2022. The biggest news is that people are looking for you! We have created this survey to figure out how many people will join us at the PEP competition AND help you connect with these businesses:

• PEP Sign-up and Job Opportunities(log-in suggested, not required)

We are lining up career talks for the next couple months. In the meantime, please take a look at the job opportunities at Pure Watercraft, ServiceNow, Flux Marine, and Siemens

Also, our conferences are going virtual and they are still FREE for you. Feel free to attend only the parts that are interesting to you. You can sign up now for:

• Technology, Systems and Ships: 1/31-2/1 (Agenda highlight: young professionals breakfast on Tuesday, 7:30am)
• Combat Systems Symposium: 2/2-3 (Agenda highlight: women in naval engineering breakfast on Thursday, 7:30am)

My final word to you is one you heard in the fall: Get to work!! Please take this opportunity to fabricate components and integrate systems. These are huge projects that will require a lot of testing and improvement. Waterproofing alone will take a good chunk of time to hone and protect. Every minute you can work now will save you minutes of stress in April/May. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to email us at any time.

See you at Pohick Bay on Thursday, May 26, 2022!

I have talked with many of the teams this fall and know that you are working hard to get the project moving quickly. Please keep it up! The teams that were able to finish fabrication in February/March and focus on testing and improvements in the Spring not only had better results, they were able to sleep with less stress! Don't stress yourself out, work hard now and complete tasks as soon as you can.

Two quick updates: First, we are excited to welcome these teams to the community . And, secondly, please look at the PEP Talks and Internship tabs for the resources that are freely available to you!

PEP Celebration!

It was so great to culminate a year's worth of engineering, late nights, hard work, and stressful testing with a competition in Arundel Creek at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard Baltimore. Each team brought energy, ingenuity, and a collaborative spirit. It was great to connect the teams with each other and to all the attendees at the Multi-Agency Craft Conference. For more details about the day's events and videos/images from the day, please see the 2021 PEP celebration page.

Over the summer, we also added some new participants to the PEP competition. We are happy to welcome aboard teams from Johns Hopkins University, Tennessee Tech, University of Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest University. Some of these participants were on-site in Baltimore in July and witnessed the excitement and ingenuity from 2021 and they are excited to add to the field in 2022.

At this point, we have sent out all funding checks for the upcoming school year and awards from the victorious 2021 teams. If you do not have your money, please let us know!

If you have any questions, comments, or things to share, please email Mike at any time. Thanks for making PEP special!

https://www.navalengineers.org/PEP2021

Congratulations to all PEP Participants!

July 21, 2021 was a great day for all PEP participants. Teams came from hundreds and thousands of miles after a pandemic-filled school year to enjoy the fruits of their labor. We were excited that all teams were able to compete, show off, and network. In the manned competition, the University of Kentucky Energized Outboards team finished in front of Michigan Solar Sea, Michigan E-Jetski, and Old Dominion University. In the unmanned division, Stevens Institute outperformed George Mason's craft and Virginia Tech looks forward to the 2022 competition.

Click here to see our post-race recap.

Pre-Event Videos

These videos were part of the pre-competition outreach that generated more interest and excitement about the race. These teams started designing their craft months (and in some cases years) before race day. The hard work is done at the universities as teams chase bugs in their code, bend plywood, and create truly watertight connections. These videos document some of those excellent efforts.

Please feel free to share this link with family, friends and future competitors. Thanks for making this event special!

https://www.navalengineers.org/PEP2021

Collegiate teams can recruit new student engineers with this flyer, and sign up using this sign-up sheet. You can send the sign-up sheet and any questions to education@navalengineers.org.

Questions? Email Mike at any time.

Get Excited for Stevens, GMU, Catholic, and Michigan!

We are excited to sharee that Dr. Maureen Foley presented Introduction to Requirements Definition and Materials Selection in Developing New Components for U.S. Navy Applications on March 19. Not only is she an expert in her field, but she is particularly passionate about engaging engineering students and answering their questions. You have investigated many materials through PEP and this hour-long presentation and discussion will help broaden your horizons in this critical, and growing, field. Register today!

MACC traditionally has a sizeable international audience so we are planning a hybrid conference. As you may have seen in previous conferences, we present technical presentations 48 hours before the conference and then have a Q&A session. We would love to have a video describing your design for this conference. This video could simply be a recording of your capstone presentation. Or, if you want to make a video after the semester that captures the engineering successes, you could also choose to make a special presentation that presents your work to a professional audience. As always, you can ask us for help if you have questions, thoughts or concerns about this opportunity.

The ASNE scholarships may not make sense for graduating seniors, but if you are considering graduate school or have undergraduate teammates, please share these $4,000 scholarship opportunities. We hope you apply. The scholarship is open to all students are engaged in engineering disciplines related to naval engineering. PEP participants and future PEP participants are at a particular advantage since you are already showing your involvement with naval engineering.

Before we get to MACC, ASNE is hosting the Intelligent Ships Symposium. Teams that investigated unmanned systems are particularly encouraged to investigate the agenda and drop in for a session that piques your interest. As always, registration is completely free for undergraduate students.

We have been touching base with your teams and know that this is a busy time in your schedule. I hope you find enjoyment in how much you, individually, and your team, collectively, are able to produce in this short period of time. Your first semester plans have probably shifted in some ways, but that planning is providing you with the structure and foundation to see this through to the end. We are so excited to you see you dockside on July 21, 2021 in Baltimore!

ASNE knows that PEP participants are working hard at all hours to get all the coursework done. Now that we have finally reached winter break, I wanted to personally reach out and see how we can work together before the start of the Spring semester. Here are a couple things you can use from now until December 31 to dive more deeply into aspects of naval engineering and electric propulsion:

• Fleet Maintenance & Modernization Symposium included numerous keynotes, presentations from materials engineer Dr. Maureen Foley, and presentation by the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program that you should definitely consider at some point in your career (recordings here).
• The Advanced Machinery & Technology Symposium included technical paper tracks on propulsion, power systems, controls, cybersecurity, energy storage and data analytics. The papers, PPTs, and videos of their Q&A are available here.
• November's Combat System Symposium focuses more on the navy warfighting systems. Unless you have been really careful with your budget and an aggressive race strategy, there may not be as many useful resources here. But, keynotes and the voices of engineers in the field are always useful and you can check it out here.

Scholarships are now available! Independent of the PEP program, ASNE offers $4,000 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students engaging in naval engineering career paths. You can find all the details on the ASNE Scholarship page. Please consider it for yourselves and pass this information along to your friends.

We are looking to update the FAQs. If you have open questions that are still causing issues OR questions you had to resolve that would be better addressed in the beginning, please email us those details at education@navalengineers.org. Now that you can do exactly what you want, please push yourself to be the best engineer you can be!

This Fall all the hard work is being led by a dozen teams across the country. They have been imagining electrical power systems to ensure their craft can complete the five-mile course this summer. Some teams have spent time procuring the perfect hull for their crafts while other teams have designed their hull from scratch. This work involves engineering concepts like propulsion, drag, and power output. It also has forced teams to work with project management concepts like risk, budgets, and project timelines. They are also integrating technology like microcontrollers, simulators and computer-assisted design programs.

If you want to support this program, please email us at education@navalengineers.org. Thanks so much to all the PEP teams for your hard work this semester!

PEP is concluding its active recruitment of new teams; get your applications in soon! Our Summer 2020 pitch: If you are planning your senior capstone activities, count PEP in! We can grant your department up to $7,000 to ensure your PEP team has a successful year. Given current conditions, we foresee teams being able to connect virtually, work with design software, and share analyses. If you foresee a full school year of distance/modified learning, then we suggest the December deliverable is a Gantt Chart or 4D model that outlines how the team can assemble the components while meeting your school's social distancing regulations and best practices as outlined by the CDC.

We are here to help! Email us education@navalengineers.org this summer, in the fall, whenever you want to discuss how to make this project work with your unique situation. Or, simply complete the Corporate/University sign up form (only complete what addresses your situation). Thanks so much for your hard work to make this a productive year for these developing engineers!

Traditionally, May is when college seniors celebrate their hard-earned degrees and take a breath before joining the workforce or professional degree programs. PEP competitors added one key task to their year-end activities: documenting and distributing their work to future PEP teams. With this hard documentation work, 2020-2021 teams will be able to complete fabrication and testing. ASNE personally thanks each team member for spending the extra late-night hours on the PPTs, the 3D models, and the virtual documentation that will ensure the next PEP competition sees this design work through to the finish.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the MACC conference and the PEP competition will be postponed until July 2021. Although we are saddened that this year's teams will not be able to participate, we are proud of the work PEP participants did to make this year a success despite incredible challenges. These students worked tirelessly to design and document these projects. THANK YOU for your hard work and dedication!