Photo Courtesy: USNA
Photo Courtesy: USNA
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Apr. 30, 2025) U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Yvette Davids speaks to midshipmen and guests during Capstone Day at Alumni Hall. Capstone projects provide students with valuable real-world experience that will help them in their future careers, as military officers and in their careers beyond military service. As the undergraduate college of our country's naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey)
Annapolis, MD - The U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) hosted the 14th annual yard-wide Capstone Day, Wednesday, April 30. Over 280 projects and 150 formal presentations took place during this day-long event reflecting months of technical rigor, collaboration, and leadership in action. For the 1st Class (senior) midshipmen presenting their projects, Capstone Day is a culminating event that represents a full year of innovation, teamwork, and diligent research to provide real-world solutions with direct relevance to the fleet and beyond.
“While this year is our largest Capstone Day, the history of our Academy’s implementation of project-based learning is long and storied,” said Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.
At the Naval Academy’s founding, midshipmen studied the same fixed curriculum. As America changed culturally and technologically, so did the Naval Academy. Starting in 1933, all graduates were awarded Bachelors of Science degrees, and in 1969, USNA implemented majors for the first time. Currently, the Naval Academy offers 26 academic majors with the Class of 2025’s Capstone projects spanning across all disciplines to include engineering, computing and weapons, math and science, and humanities and social sciences.
Photo Courtesy: USNA
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Apr. 30, 2025) U.S. Naval Academy Academic Dean and Provost, Dr. Samara L. Firebaugh, listens to a midshipman's explain their capstone project during Capstone Day at Alumni Hall. Capstone projects provide students with valuable real-world experience that will help them in their future careers, as military officers and in their careers beyond military service. As the undergraduate college of our country's naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey)
Capstone research often goes beyond the walls of the Naval Academy and has real-world effects and applications for the Navy, Marine Corps, and industry. As an example, the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM)-Ignite innovation program, organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Lincoln Laboratory (MIT-LL), brings together military students, Special Operations Forces operators, and scientists to address SOCOM operators’ technical needs. Some of the resulting projects included body armor, ascender safety catch and innovative pulley design for maritime interdiction operations, an autonomous unmanned surface vessel kit, close range enemy location tracker, and a searching self-healing autonomous mesh network drone swarm.
As AI, autonomous systems, and electronic warfare reshape combat, some midshipmen worked on various projects that field-tested, evaluated, and provided innovative solutions to the fleet. Squad with Autonomous Teammates Challenge (SWAT-C) midshipmen also had the opportunity to compete at one of the nation’s premiere military innovation expos, Modern Day Marine 2025, showcasing advanced small-unit tactics and emerging technology.
Photo Courtesy: USNA
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Apr. 30, 2025) U.S. Naval Academy 1st class midshipmen (senior) present their capstone project presentations in Alumni Hall. The capstone project is the culminating academic experience for the 1st class midshipmen (seniors) who undertake ambitious, year-long projects that involve creative design, fabrication, and actual system operation/demonstration. As the undergraduate college of our country's naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey)
“Just as Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering were among the first to integrate end-of-year design projects, this year their efforts are even more front-and-center with the national focus on a stronger ship-building industrial base here at home,” said Davids.
One project included the design of a National Defense Sealift Vessel that provided rapid activation and deployment of Department of Defense forces and material. Another designed a compact submersible to covertly transport small units to a target destination while keeping occupants dry and allowing for longer range missions.
“I hope you all see this as I do - as a celebration of innovation, a celebration of the hard work our students have been doing all year,” said Dr. Samara Firebaugh, Provost at USNA. “Capstone Day sits at the threshold that bridges their academic program to what they're going to do in the fleet. We engage with the problems that come from the real world and that data feeds directly back into our majors programs that prepare our future students through curriculum.”
Over the span of the senior academic year, topic exploration may involve site visits, sponsor meetings, prototype fabrication, direct experimentation, and formal paper writing. A variety of federal and corporate sponsors support USNA Capstone Day, including Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.
“While your academic journey at USNA is nearing its end, this is just the beginning of your continual lifelong pursuit of excellence and knowledge,” said Davids. “This is one small step, but an important one, in your career as warfighters and lifelong learners.”
Capstone images are posted on USNA's Flickr page and are free to download. For more information on Capstone Day, visit the USNA Capstone Day website at https://www.usna.edu/CapstoneDay/index.php. For more information about the Naval Academy, visit www.usna.edu or the academy’s Facebook page at www.facebook/USNavalAcademy.
