NAWCAD Employees Named Outstanding Technology Transfer Professionals

May 30, 2018
NAWCAD's technology transfer office employees, Rick Tarr and Michelle Miedzinski, were awarded the Federal Lab Consortium's 2018 Outstanding Technology Transfer Professional award. The office's mission is to share technology developed at NAWCAD with other government, commercial and academic entities.

NAWCAD’s technology transfer office employees, Rick Tarr and Michelle Miedzinski, were awarded the Federal Lab Consortium’s 2018 Outstanding Technology Transfer Professional award. The office’s mission is to share technology developed at NAWCAD with other government, commercial and academic entities.

NAWCAD’S Michelle Miedzinski and Rick Tarr of the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) were recently named this year’s Outstanding Technology Transfer Professionals by the Federal Lab Consortium.

The award recognizes the efforts of the professional or team who has demonstrated outstanding work transferring a technology in a manner significantly over and above what was called for in the normal course of their work.

The NAWCAD TTO team was awarded for their innovative approaches to deliver dual-use inventions that meet pressing U.S. Department of Defense needs and can be licensed to private partners or industry for commercial applications. Their work led to the establishment of TechPort, the first technology incubator in St. Mary’s County. Additionally, the team is working to launch events throughout the region that highlight topics relevant to NAWCAD scientists and engineers.

“Being recognized as an Outstanding Technology Transfer team member is rewarding as it highlights the role the NAWCAD Technology Transfer office plays in transferring innovative technologies for use by the warfighter,” said Miedzinski. “It also helps the U.S. and regional economy base by creating jobs.”

Tarr and Miedzinski received a congratulatory letter from Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer. The team also received recognition from Rep. Steny Hoyer for their outstanding work in St. Mary’s County, Maryland as well letters from Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

Technology transfer is the business of transferring technology originally developed at NAWCAD to other government laboratories, government contractors, commercial entities or academia. All federal laboratories are directed by federal law to establish technology transfer programs to enhance our nation’s industrial base and strengthen the economy.

The NAWCAD TTO was established to actively promote collaborations and agreements between NAWCAD and external customers in support of the warfighter. The partnering organizations include naval systems commands, joint services, federal agencies, combatant commanders, foreign military relationships, industry and academic institutions.

Currently, NAWCAD researchers hold 57 patents with the sum of the intellectual property (IP) portfolio totaling 178. The TTO’s vision is to increase the number of patents and find appropriate partners that will move the technologies through the technology transfer pipeline to commercialization, making them viable and affordable options for the Navy.

For more information on a specific services listed below contact the NAWCAD Technology Transfer Office at 301-342-1133.

With facilities in Patuxent River, Maryland; Lakehurst, New Jersey; and Orlando, Florida NAWCAD supports the research and development, engineering, test and evaluation of all Navy and Marine Corps air vehicle systems and trainers.

For more information about NAWCAD, please go to www.navair.navy.mil or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MyNAWCAD/.