Annapolis, MD - The United States Naval Academy (USNA) and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment (ASN EI&E) are joining forces in a cooperative endeavor to formalize an enduring relationship related to energy security and infrastructure resilience issues through the USNA Center for Energy Security and Infrastructure Resilience (CESIR).
Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, superintendent of the Naval Academy, and Meredith Berger, ASN (EI&E) and Chief Sustainability Officer, announced the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Oct. 7, 2024. The MOU is designed to enhance CESIR educational and research activities in support of the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of the Navy (DON) mandates and goals through advanced support for midshipmen’s Capstone and research projects.
“This partnership is key to our midshipmen gaining knowledge of the constantly evolving needs of the Navy and Marine Corps and will provide them with the unique insights needed to succeed as junior officers in an ever-changing global landscape,” said Davids.
CESIR was created to prepare midshipmen to address the energy and environmental issues that they will face in their careers, both as leaders in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and as civilians after completion of their military service. It will include interdisciplinary lectures and seminars for insertion into core courses and develop new elective courses for midshipmen majoring in engineering and non-engineering disciplines.
“This partnership with the Naval Academy and CESIR underscores for our future Navy and Marine Corps leaders how climate readiness is mission readiness,” said Meredith Berger, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment. “Having the midshipmen conduct research on critical issues now – from climate change and energy security to infrastructure resilience and safety – will ensure the DON’s warfighting advantage for future generations.”
The Center will also provide for research and professional training opportunities for midshipmen and will arrange for topical special lectures for midshipmen, faculty, and staff, and provide opportunities for enhancing faculty research and funding.
“Energy security, the intersection of energy usage and the environment, and the impact of climate change on our infrastructure and operational requirements have emerged as important global and national security matters,” said Dr. Robert E. Fishman, the Director of CESIR and McNeill Chair in Engineering at USNA. “These are significant interdisciplinary issues that midshipmen need to understand and be ready to address.”
The mission of the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) is to develop midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character, to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government. The overall academic curriculum supports the moral and mental preparation of midshipmen and provides them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities they will need to be successful as junior officers in the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
For more information about CESIR, visit https://www.usna.edu/CESIR/About_CESIR.php. For more information about the Naval Academy, visit www.usna.edu and our Facebook page.
