NUWC Division Newport engineer wins Society of Women Engineers Helen Martha Sternberg Award for 2024

NUWC Division Newport engineer wins Society of Women Engineers Helen Martha Sternberg Award for 2024

By NUWC Division Newport Public Affairs

Molly "Meagan" Haradon, a junior computer software engineer in the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport's Weapons Software and Computer Systems Branch in the Undersea Warfare Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department, was named the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Helen Martha Sternberg Award winner for 2024.

The annual award recognizes a female mathematician, computer scientist, or computer engineer who has worked at Division Newport between six and 24 months and has shown significant progress in her major area of study and plans on attaining her graduate degree.

SWE's New England Shoreline Section representative, Emily Pietrzak Callahan of Division Newport's Undersea Warfare Engineering and Analysis Department, presented the award to Haradon at NUWC Division Newport's Annual Awards ceremony held on June 20.

"Ms. Haradon has demonstrated exceptional conscientiousness, professionalism, and organization skills," Pietrzak Callahan said. "She thoroughly verifies the required verification test matrix to ensure all new hardware and software requirements are tested. Her proactive engagement with NUWC and industry partners, including traveling to Syracuse for collaboration, highlights her commitment. It's with pleasure that we recognize her efforts with the Helen Martha Sternberg Award."

Haradon, a resident of Mansfield, Massachusetts, started working at Division Newport in October 2023 after earning a bachelor's degree in computer science from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts.

Since joining Division Newport's Weapons Software and Computer Systems Branch, Haradon has quickly become an integral part of the Mark 22 Mod2 Warhead Electronics Systems (WES) Program Team. Leveraging her computer science background, she works closely with personnel from Lockheed Martin for the redesign of the Mark 22 Mod1 WES. Haradon documents the MOD2 WES software design in the Software Design Document, ensuring the document contains the right content and is accurate. To ensure all the new hardware and software requirements are being fully tested, she has been cross-checking the Requirement Verification Test Matrix spreadsheet that contains roughly 500 requirements and the associated test procedures for completeness. As a trusted member of the team, she has traveled several times to Syracuse, New York, to meet with other Lockheed Martin team members in person to ensure continuous communication and collaboration.

"Based on her outstanding contributions to the Mod2 WES Redesign Program, Haradon has earned the utmost respect from her peers and supervisors," the award states.

The award is named in honor of Helen Martha Sternberg Award who worked as a mathematician in the Environmental Acoustic Model Development Group at the Naval Undersea Systems Center New London Laboratory in Connecticut. Sternberg, who received a master's degree in mathematics in 1949, became a recognized authority on the Generic Sonar Model, which is a computer model of the sonar equation. The award was established in 1990 and is presented annually by the Society of Women Engineers-New England Shoreline Section to a NUWC Division Newport female employee having an educational and work background similar to Sternberg's. The Sternberg family provided the funds for the establishment of this award.

NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.

Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site- https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport.