PIA will help County businesses identify potential Navy tech transfer opportunities, identify programs and resources to develop R&D collaborations with Carderock

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett joined today with Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division (Carderock) Commanding Officer Captain Chris D. Meyer, USN, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Dr. Jerry Weast, Montgomery College Interim Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Services Paula Matuskey, and numerous federal agency, local government and business representatives for a signing ceremony to recognize Montgomery County’s first Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with Carderock. MCPS and Montgomery College each entered into their own separate but related Education Partnership Agreements with Carderock.

“The official recognition of these three important agreements with Carderock represents a real trifecta, but with all the players finishing first,” said Leggett. “To have a leading federal installation such as the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division seek out separate yet mutually beneficial agreements, spanning elementary school students up through our current workforce, demonstrates their proactive approach to supporting local businesses and the local economy via increased tech transfer opportunities.”

“It also shows their direct involvement with helping build the local workforce of tomorrow via their partnerships with Montgomery College and MCPS, and we look forward to emulating this type of progressive collaboration with other key federal agencies located in the County,” added Leggett.

The County/Carderock PIA will allow businesses to:

• better leverage the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development as a Partnership Intermediary to identify Navy developed technology available for licensing;
• participate in technology showcases targeting Montgomery County businesses and Carderock R&D;
• have better access to programs and resources for developing R&D collaborations with Carderock; and
• participate in one-on-one or small group meetings with the Carderock Tech Transfer Office.

"Educational and intermediary partnership agreements, like these, will further our already close relationship with Montgomery County. By working closely with and mentoring students at all levels and guiding local companies through the process of conducting business with a federal agency, we hope to build interest in STEM careers and provide collaborative research opportunities with local businesses," said Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Commander Navy Capt. Chris Meyer."

Through the MCPS/Carderock collaboration, students are seeing the real-world relevance of science and technology. For instance, MCPS middle school students are working with engineers from Carderock to design, build and test remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) aimed at cleaning up a simulated oil spill. The students then have the opportunity to take a field trip to test their ROVs in the same pools that the U.S. Navy uses for its ship testing.

“This partnership is bringing science to life for our students as we try to grow the next generation of engineers, scientists and mathematicians,” said Superintendent of Schools Jerry D. Weast. “I am grateful for this innovative partnership that will benefit our students and our county. We look forward to seeing this collaboration grow in the years to come.”

The Montgomery College/Carderock agreement will aid in the educational experience of Montgomery College students by providing a mechanism by which those students can benefit from the staff expertise, unique facilities and equipment related to surface warfare science and technology available from Carderock through the Education Partnership Agreement. Carderock’s contributions to this partnership will help encourage student interest in science, mathematics and engineering, benefit the laboratory in terms of advance training of future employees, and benefit the country by encouraging an early interest in the sciences and engineering by young people as a future career choice.

"This new partnership between Montgomery College and the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division is a wonderful opportunity for students in the College's rapidly expanding science, engineering and mathematics department," said Paula Matuskey, Interim Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Services at Montgomery College. "This partnership will not only spark interest in the field of surface warfare science and technology, but it will provide advanced training to future employees."

The fitting backdrop for today’s ceremony was the County’s new Gateway to Innovation: Welcome Center for Federal and Academic Technology Transfer opened last September at the County’s Shady Grove Innovation Center incubator.

The three separate but related agreements demonstrate the commitment by Carderock, Montgomery County government, Montgomery College and Montgomery County Public Schools to support increased technology transfer and commercialization opportunities for local businesses now and to prepare and build a robust local workforce of the future.

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Contact: Kristina Ellis, MCDED, 240-793-9568
Dana Tofig, MCPS, 301-279-3853
LaToya T. Graddy, NSWCCD, 301-227-4465
Marcus S. Rosano, Montgomery College, 240-567-4022