In the first episode of our new Academic Arsenal series – focused on NPS students’ defense-relevant thesis research – the 2024 Operation Ice Camp research team revisits their experiences in the Arctic, details the trove of data collected, and offers insights into how NPS research connects to strategic naval priorities.

Welcome back to the Trident Room Podcast. I'm LCDR Colleen Wilmington. If you’re a returning listener, you may recognize me from METOC Me-talks, if you’re new welcome to NPS! Today we're introducing a new series, the Academic Arsenal, focusing on the theses and dissertations being completed here at NPS for DOD applications.

The Naval Postgraduate School Oceanography Department team, composed of professors from the Ocean Acoustics Lab and students from METOC/USW program participated in Operation Ice Camp Whale to collect data to understand the physics of acoustic propagation under, through and above the sea ice. Their research intends to lay the scientific foundation for sea ice property inference and future multimedia Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

The Operation Ice Camp (formerly Ice Exercise) 2024 team are:

- Dr. Ben Reeder, Research Professor, CDR (Ret)

- John Joseph, Research Associate, CDR (Ret)

- Taylor Hudson, Student, LCDR

- Colleen Wilmington, Student, LCDR

Check out episode Trident Room Podcast episode #47, METOC on the Rocks with Lt. Cmdr. Wilmington for more on Operation Ice Camp. And check out this NPS news story, Operation Ice Camp Yields Treasure Trove of Arctic Data for NPS Students, Faculty, for a detailed progress report on the team’s current research.

The Trident Room Podcast is brought to you by the Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association and Foundation. http://www.npsfoundation.org

For comments, suggestions, and critiques, please email us at [email protected], and find us online at nps.edu/tridentroompodcast. Thank you!