Engineer Profiles - Eric R.

B.S. Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Webb Institute, 1969 M.S. Naval Architecture/ Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1977

I joined MPR in 1989, after 20 years of service in the U.S. Navy as an engineering duty officer. My undergraduate degree is in naval architecture and marine engineering from Webb Institute. My graduate degrees are in naval architecture and ocean engineering from MIT. One of the key reasons I chose to work at MPR is the priority MPR gives to producing quality work. Having worked in several other engineering organizations, I find the working environment at MPR to be truly exceptional, which is one of the key reasons I enjoy coming to work every day.

Another key reason I enjoy working at MPR is the variety of interesting work we do. Most of my recent work has involved research and development related to firefighting and damage control aboard Navy ships. As "Task Supervisor," my job includes working with Navy clients to define the scope and budget for tasks, planning tasks and managing them within MPR, supervising the work of other MPR engineers doing the tasks, and doing some portion of the engineering. (I try to keep some of the interesting work for myself.) Some examples of recent tasks include working with the Navy in conducting full­scale firefighting tests aboard a ship in Mobile, Alabama, and then preparing new firefighting procedures based on the test results. We also are developing new computer displays to improve the information available to ship operators during a casualty such as a "weapon hit." On another task we are developing a "smart" valve to automatically isolate a fluid system leak after a weapon hit in a ship. In work related to the "smart" valve development, we are helping the Navy with the planning and instrumentation of full­scale tests to evaluate the effects of a weapon hit on integrated fluid, electrical power, and control systems. In a very different technical area, we have combined human physiology and heat transfer algorithms to develop an analytical model of firefighter endurance in insulated clothing. With this ever-changing mix of new challenges, there is never a dull day at work.