Photo By Scott Pittman | Personnel participate in the annual Keyport Con at Naval Undersea Warfare Center,...... read more read more
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Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport hosted its fourth Keyport-Con community-building event, Aug. 7.
The event is a convention-style gathering that provides a platform for NUWC Division, Keyport employees to showcase their work, encourage collaboration, and foster professional development through creative themes and interactive activities.
“Our tagline for Keyport-Con is 'low-formality, high-engagement,'” said NUWC Division, Keyport Command Policy Analyst Melissa Berry, who has facilitated the past two Keyport-Cons. “We want people to find creative, memorable ways of sharing what they do, because we have both long-term employees who are relatively aware of some of the mission areas and many new or mid-career employees who may not be aware of what others are working on or what career opportunities exist around the station.”
NUWC Division, Keyport Command Strategic Planning Officer Melissa Kittrell emceed and orchestrated the event.
“Keyport-Con is like a festival, but it’s also a way for our workforce to share not only their projects, but their successes and challenges and all the things they do,” said Kittrell.
"This event is an opportunity to meet new people and see people in a different light,” added NUWC Division, Keyport Acting Technical Director Jim Bleich during his opening remarks. “It's also a great chance to learn more about just how much the Keyport workforce contributes to support our Navy and our warfighters.”
This year’s Keyport-Con included 33 booths representing all but seven of the command’s divisions. Booths were judged and awarded based on how well they aligned with the Navy’s “Get Real, Get Better” mindset—a philosophy of continuous self-assessment, self-correction and learning—and this year’s overarching theme of wartime readiness. There was also a “People’s Choice” award, which allowed visitors a voice in selecting the best booth.
The event featured numerous creatively themed booths, including a video game station courtesy of the Command Office, which cleverly tied the concept of “command” to both leadership and gaming; an equally clever victory garden theme from the Human Resources Department; and the Resilient Communications program’s Bigfoot theme, which playfully referenced the command’s ham radio call sign, “Bigfoot Tracker.”
The awards ceremony honored several departments and divisions, with the top honor going to the Fleet Readiness Department’s Rapid Prototyping and Fabrication Technology Division. The division’s theme, “42 is the Answer to Everything,” was an allusion to both its name and the science fiction classic “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” where the number 42 is humorously revealed as “the ultimate answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything.”
The event also included remarks from NUWC Division, Keyport Commanding Officer Capt. Clint Hoskins, a food truck, a musical performance by the U.S. Navy Band Northwest’s Brass Quintet, a “Beat the TD” 5K challenge and the return of the popular cardboard boat race.
Angie Meier, department technology officer for NUWC Division, Keyport's Undersea Weapons Department, officiated the race, in which five teams competed to build cardboard boats and paddle them 100 meters to buoys in the Keyport Lagoon. Boats were limited to three feet in length and five feet in width—with no restriction on height—and could be made only from cardboard and tape. The first team to return to shore was declared the winner.
Meier described the race as a fun and engaging way to promote problem-solving, teamwork and learning among NUWC Division, Keyport employees.
“Through this activity, participants gain an understanding of the importance of effective communication, time management and resource allocation—essential skills in any profession and particularly relevant to the mission of Keyport-Con,” said Meier.
The winning team was the USS Soggy Bottom, from the Test & Evaluation Department’s Environmental and Non-Destructive Test Branch.
This year’s Keyport-Con saw a notable increase in the number of divisions represented, a result of organizers’ efforts to boost participation in response to past feedback.
“Some of the feedback in previous years has been to ensure representation from each of the divisions and product areas,’” said Berry. “This has led us to really encourage each of the divisions to participate to the highest extent possible.”
Keyport-Con started in 2018, took a three-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, and returned last year to great anticipation and acclaim. Berry said this year’s event marks another milestone in the command’s efforts to rebuild the tradition of Keyport-Con.
“The event is growing and coming back with a bang after our break for from COVID,” said Berry.
-KPT-
NUWC Division, Keyport provides advanced technical capabilities for test and evaluation, in-service engineering, maintenance and industrial base support, fleet material readiness, and obsolescence management for undersea warfare to expand America’s undersea dominance.
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2024 19:21 |
| Story ID: | 478528 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 206 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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