MSU signs educational agreement with U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command
Mississippi State University and the U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command are expanding educational and job opportunities in the Magnolia State.
MSU and the Navy division recently signed an Educational Partnership Agreement, or EPA, which will facilitate academic exchanges focused on geosciences, data science and various other disciplines. Headquartered at Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi, the U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, or CNMOC, oversees 13 units that work in a wide range of scientific fields to deliver vital information that ranges “from the ocean floor to the stars.”
“Partnerships like this expose students to the real-world challenges they will be addressing after graduation,” said MSU Dean for Integrative Studies and Northern Gulf Institute Associate Director Jamie Dyer. “By working with CNMOC, students will gain experience working across disciplines and become familiar with some of the advanced technology used in Naval oceanography and meteorology efforts. Opportunities like this are a great complement to the world-class education MSU students receive in the classroom.”
The agreement provides a mechanism for MSU students to learn from CNMOC’s staff expertise and technological capabilities while also encouraging the STEM-focused workforce development to help meet mission needs. Students will have the opportunity to visit Naval research facilities and work on research projects coordinated between MSU and CNMOC as part of academic programs and initiatives.
“Collaborative partnerships like this support our mission and help grow the talent base here in Mississippi,” said CNMOC Chief Technology Officer Jason McKenna. “That is a win-win.”
In addition to the academic partnership, CNMOC and MSU are exploring new research partnerships. While visiting MSU, CNMOC officials were briefed on MSU’s research in areas such as high performance computing, data science, oceanography, numerical weather prediction, autonomous systems, remote sensing, geographic information systems, cybersecurity and more. The officials toured facilities including the MSU High Performance Computing Collaboratory and Raspet Flight Research Lab.
MSU Executive Vice Provost Peter Ryan and U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Naval Command Deputy Technical Director Jennifer Hailes mark the signing of an Educational Partnership Agreement between MSU and CNMOC. Also celebrating the expanded partnership between the two organizations is, from left, FNMOC Deputy Technical Director Kelly Wood, MSU Management and Information Systems Department Head Laura Marler, CNMOC Experimentation Lead Jason Pyron, MSU Dean for Integrative Studies and Northern Gulf Institute Associate Director Jamie Dyer, CNMOC Chief Technology Officer Jason McKenna and Naval Oceanographic Office Director of Talent Management Scott Klingenberger. (Photo by Grace Cockrell)
“As we work with CNMOC to develop a cooperative research agreement, we have a unique opportunity to leverage MSU’s overall research expertise to help drive innovation and engagements with the Naval Research Office, positioning MSU as a leader in maritime research and development,” said MSU Associate Vice President for Research and Economic Development Narcisa Pricope.
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