Computer Science Principles

Students entering 9th – 12th grade will investigate computer science principles, develop basic algorithms, learn Python programming language, and explore how computing and technology can impact the world. Dates for 2025 will be announced in March. For more information: https://www.usaeop.com/program/aberdeen/

Robotics

Students entering 9th – 11th grade will learn to design, build, and program SumoBots that navigate and battle in a fun competition format with other robot teams. SumoBots are small autonomous robots that use sensors to detect each other. In “battle,” they “fight” to push the opponent robot out of a competition ring. During this hands-on STEM program, students will work in small groups of three under the guidance of Near-Peer Mentors and Teachers. Classes will be hosted at the Army Research Laboratory’s Robotics Research Collaboration Campus (R2C2) in Middle River, MD. Dates for 2025 will be announced in March. For more information: https://www.usaeop.com/program/aberdeen/

AEOP GEMS

Each year, ETC develops curriculum and executes summer programs for the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science (GEMS) at the U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command U.S. Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL). ETC’s GEMS III programs provides rising 9th – 12th grade students the opportunity to interact with scientists and engineers to explore essential research areas related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects and careers. If you enjoy hands-on activities and want to learn more about STEM topics and careers, apply to GEMS.

ETC TechTerns

ETC manages several internship programs that create opportunities for high school and undergraduate students to perform real work in their field of interest. ETC’s interns are teamed with ETC employees who provide technical and professional mentoring. These internships may be hosted at DoD sites such as the Robotics Research Collaboration Campus at the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), or at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD).

NETAP

The Naval Energetics Technology Apprenticeship Program (NETAP) provides rising high school juniors and seniors an internship to develop critical thinking, problem-solving and engineering skills. Student will learn to design and build a remote-control underwater vehicle (ROUV). Over the course of the 3-week program, students will learn to use power tools, solder circuits and program in Python to improve upon a standard SeaPerch build to compete for best design and fastest to complete the underwater challenge. The NETAP program is led by ETC staff and scientists/engineers from Naval Surface Warfare Center – Indian Head Division. Students will learn about NSWC programs and future career opportunities in the Navy. Dates for 2025 will be announced in March. For more information: netap@etcmd.com

RoboMasterminds

Funded by the National Defense Education Program, RoboMasterminds is an after-school, summer, and internship program for students ages 8-18 and college undergraduates that builds age-appropriate technical skills in robotics, programming, and engineering. Developed jointly by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD), and Energetics Technology Center, RoboMasterminds includes STEM activities, workshops, and internships. This programs focuses on keeping elementary and middle school youth in the STEM pipeline through a tiered mentoring framework, which creates a continuum of STEM experiences that seamlessly ushers them into the “next step” in STEM.

Visit the RoboMasterminds website to learn more.

After DOT&E: Reforming Test and Evaluation for the Age of Lethality

by Dr. Marcus Jones

Executive Summary

Download this report in PDF.

This think-piece examines the implications and potential of the May 2025 directive reorganizing the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), a reform aimed at increasing agility, reducing bureaucratic friction, and focusing the Department of Defense’s test and evaluation (T&E) enterprise on its core statutory mission. The reorganization marks a turning point in the evolution of oversight and performance assessment for defense systems, one that invites fresh thinking about how best to align speed, innovation, and warfighter confidence. The urgency of this reform has now been explicitly acknowledged in Congress: the Senate’s FY26 NDAA includes a legislative proposal to establish an Alternative Test and Evaluation Pathway, initially scoped to software-intensive systems, that embodies many of the very principles advocated here: mission-focused evaluation, continuous feedback, early failure discovery, and decoupling from rigid documentation requirements.

Drawing on four decades of institutional experience, this paper explores the rationale for reimagining T&E as an integrated, continuous function grounded in mission context, powered by digital tools, and focused on fielding capabilities that are both effective and adaptable. It highlights how legacy structures, while built on good intentions, have often struggled to keep pace with the demands of software-defined systems, autonomous platforms, and modern joint operations.

The paper identifies key enablers that can help ensure the success of the current transformation: investment in digital test infrastructure, reinforcement of evaluation as a lifecycle function, preservation of transparent performance reporting, and the development of a modern T&E workforce. These steps are not about preserving legacy forms but about building a leaner, faster, and smarter T&E system aligned with emerging technologies and operational demands.

Take this link to read the entire report in PDF.