Each year, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) recognizes highly-meritorious research with identifiable impact on Navy and DOD technology through the Menneken Research Awards. For 2024, the Menneken award winners are Associate Professor Douglas Van Bossuyt of the Department of Systems Engineering, and Distinguished Professor Frank Giraldo of the Department of Applied Mathematics.
An internationally-recognized expert in nonlinear, hyperbolic partial differential equations, Giraldo received the Menneken Award for Significant and Sustained Contributions, recognizing his collective work in advanced numerical methods utilized extensively to support fleet operations. His research in mathematical and computational methods is widely applicable and is used in dozens of critical fluid dynamics models. And, Giraldo’s Non-Hydrostatic Unified Model of the Atmosphere, or NUMA, is at the core of the NEPTUNE weather prediction system currently in operation by the U.S. Navy.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized by my peers. It is wonderful to go full circle on this award - having received the Menneken Award for Excellence in Scientific Research in 2007 and now, nearly 20 years later, this one for Significant and Sustained Research,” Giraldo said. “I am especially proud of the work we have done to help the fleet. It is a testament to how basic research, particularly in mathematics, can pay huge dividends to applied and operational work of direct relevance to the DOD.”
Presented with the Menneken Award for Highly Meritorious Research by a Junior NPS Faculty Member, Van Bossuyt’s research in systems engineering process methodologies helps identify and address potential and realized failure scenarios during conceptual system design and operation. His work improves system effectiveness, reduces downtime, increases resilience, and supports decision making. His primary research application area with direct impact on DOD/DON effectiveness is in energy resilience through installation and operational microgrid energy security, while he also maintains a research portfolio in unmanned systems.
“I’m honored to be recognized with this award. It really speaks to what is possible at NPS,” Van Bossuyt said. “I work closely with my colleagues on cutting-edge research of importance to the Navy and national security. It wouldn’t be possible to do what I do without close collaborations and a wonderful team of people.”
Dr. James H. Newman, NPS Acting Provost and Chief Academic Officer, expressed his appreciation to the award selection committee for their diligent efforts in selecting this year’s winners. Their impressive work, he says, reflects the hallmark of science and emerging technology exploration at NPS … naval and defense relevance.
“These awards are a testament to the commitment of our faculty to perform research in support of the NPS, Navy and DOD missions that also informs and supports their classroom teaching and thesis advising,” he said.
Established in 1988, the annual Menneken Research Awards are named in honor of Carl E. Menneken, NPS’ first Dean of Research. The awards are administered by the NPS Foundation and Alumni Association and are funded through the Menneken Endowment.