News
Energetics Technology Center Welcomes New Talent Across STEM, Robotics, and Engineering
Aberdeen, MD – September 2025 – The Energetics Technology Center (ETC) is proud to welcome a dynamic group of new team members whose skills span engineering, robotics, computer science, and STEM education. Each brings a unique perspective and a passion for innovation that will enhance ETC’s support of the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), and other national security initiatives.
Bobby Appleton, Ph.D., joins ETC as a machine learning engineer supporting NSWC Indian Head Division. Bobby has a strong background in all areas of computational materials science with an expertise in developing predictive models for energetic materials using state-of-the-art ML/AI methods. While a member of the Purdue Energetics Research Center, Bobby collaborated with various DoD and academic researchers through the Advancing Army Modernization Program – Energetic Materials (AAMP-EM) and the Energetic Materials Basic Research (EMBR) cooperative agreements. He received his B.A. in Physics from Ripon College, M.S. in Physics from California State University – Los Angeles, and Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from Purdue University. Bobby supports the NSWC Indian Head Chemical Scale-Up group for optimizing synthesis processes of energetic materials.
Howard Cho, a robotics engineer with advanced experience in autonomous navigation, recently joined ETC with a focus on robotic systems development. His work includes leading the design of a 360° perception and navigation system for Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot, utilizing real-time SLAM mapping and GPS-based hybrid autonomy. Howard’s integration of adaptive path planning, vision-language models, and multimodal robotic control showcases his cutting-edge contributions to the field. His innovations support ETC’s robotics and AI research in dynamic and GPS-denied environments.
Caleb Harper, Ph.D., joins ETC as a chemical/mechanical engineer supporting NSWC Indian Head Division as an energetics formulator. With extensive research experience from the Purdue Energetics Research Center, Caleb has developed, tested, and evaluated experimental rocket propellants and explosive formulations. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. Caleb’s work supports critical Navy R&D in next-generation energetic materials. Outside the lab, Caleb is an avid linguist, musician, and licensed pilot.
Sarah Kirby joins ETC as a STEM Educator, supporting the organization’s growing education and workforce development programs at ARL and NSWC Indian Head. A former science teacher in Southern Maryland, Sarah holds a B.S. in Public Health Science and a Science, Technology, and Society Scholars Citation from the University of Maryland. She is currently leading hands-on STEM summer camps and developing a cybersecurity-focused after-school program designed to introduce middle school students to digital safety, literacy, and tech careers. Her passion for education and outreach is helping shape the next generation of innovators.
Brian Matheny serves as ETC’s Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Brian is responsible for overseeing financial strategy, corporate reporting, and fiscal management to support long-term organizational growth. Brian has more than 18 years of experience in financial planning and analysis, budgeting, and strategic leadership within the government contracting industry. He previously served as FP&A Manager at Noblis MSD (formerly McKean Defense Group) where he oversaw all key financial metrics and reporting for their Defense Mission Areas. Brian holds a B.B.A. in Finance and an MBA in Innovation both from James Madison University.
Joan Michel joins ETC as its VP of Strategic Initiatives. Her role is to help drive growth, internal excellence, and client outcomes. She brings 25 years of experience helping federal, state, and local governments develop, plan, and implement strategic initiatives, including creating private-public partnerships, managing strategy and planning efforts, developing education and workforce programs, and providing communications and outreach expertise. She has served the defense and homeland security sector in multiple roles — as an Army civilian, a contractor, and a small business. Joan holds a master’s degree in Organization Development from Pennsylvania State University and a bachelor’s from University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Bridget O’Gorman joins ETC remotely from Minnesota as a Technical Engagement Lead on the BEST START program, supporting the START Center at University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul and the seven local companies awarded grants through BEST START. She has wide-ranging hands-on experience including power electronics and high-energy, pulsed power weapons systems, giving her a unique perspective on technological collaboration. Bridget holds a B.S. of Electrical Engineering from University of Minnesota and will complete her M.S. of Electrical Engineering at UST in December.
Donovan Ramos comes to ETC as a Technology Specialist, with plans to advance into a system administrator role. A sophomore at Harford Community College studying computer engineering, Donovan previously interned with ETC and AEOP and has supported ARL’s ROS research network. His technical responsibilities include managing networking infrastructure at ETC’s Aberdeen office, responding to internal tech inquiries, and contributing to robotics R&D. A former FIRST Tech Challenge competitor, Donovan also brings hands-on experience with 3D modeling, electronics, and autonomous vehicles.
Beth Watson provides graphic design support for ETC. Current projects include updating the ETC brand and accompanying collateral; website design and maintenance on RoboMasterminds.org, BestStart.io, Cybersynced.org, and ETCMD.com; client and internal support with graphic design of a multitude of projects including social media, exhibits, flyers, newsletters, and more. She brings over 30 years of experience in visual communication, project management, creative services, and art direction; and has supported a wide range of teams and clients across the country. Her background is rooted in a deep love of fine arts and tactile functional crafts. She is passionate about creating design solutions that are both effective and accessible.
For more information, visit www.etcmd.com.
Media Contact:
Energetics Technology Center
contactus@etcmd.com
(301) 645-6637
Archive
- Congress Establishes Joint Energetics Transition Office—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on January 22, 2024
- The Pentagon is hurrying to find new explosives—THE ECONOMIST on January 17th
- ACMI Federal Secures $75 Million DoD Contract for Munitions Campus to Strengthen Munitions Supply Chain—PR NEWSWIRE/ACMI Federal on September 26, 2023
- Congress Adds Energetics, Critical Chemical Provisions to Defense Bill—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on August 18, 2023
- CL-20,Most powerful non nuclear explosive, 10 times more powerful than TNT—FP DEFENSE NEWS on August 15, 2023
- US Eyes More Powerful Explosives for Deadlier Weapons—The Defense Post on August 7, 2023
- Eyeing China in the Pacific, US studies explosives to make missiles fly farther—REUTERS on August 3rd, 2024
- CL-20: China reports to significantly improve world’s most powerful explosive—ONEINDIA NEWS, Some time in July of 2023
- Incorporation of CL-20 on Three Munitions Proposed by HASC Panel—DEFENSE DAILY on June 13, 2023
- Pioneered By US, Mastered By China! Chinese Scientists Claim Overtaking The US In Mastering World’s Most Powerful Explosive—EURASIAN TIMES on June 5, 2023
- China has made CL-20 5 times more shock resistant—INTERESTING ENGINEERING on June 3rd, 2023
- China has significantly enhanced safety of the world’s most powerful explosive: Report—WION on June 2, 2023
- China has tamed the world’s most powerful explosive, military scientists say—SOUTH CHINA OPENING POST on June 2, 2023
- Seeking a Bigger Bang, U.S. Invests in Advanced Explosives—WALL STREET JOURNAL on May 29, 2023
- CL-20 Used in Switchblade 300, May See Wider Use in JASSM-ER, LRASM, Other Munitions—DEFENSE DAILY on March 28, 2022
- In War with China, US Risks Being Beaten Over the Head With Its Own Explosive Technology—FORBES MAGAZINE on March 9, 2023
- Energetics Workforce Is Graying Out—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on June 28, 2022
- Energetics: Community Warns of Chinas’ Edge Developing Explosive Materials—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on June 27, 2022
- Energetics Supply Chain Called Fragile, Vulnerable—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on May 6, 2022
- U.S. Needs to Refocus on Energetic—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on March 30, 2022
- National Security Leaders to Discuss U.S. Innovation in Energetics—PURDUE NEWS on May 2, 2022
- A Critical Chemical Cautionary Tale …and The Moral of The Story—ETC NEWSLETTER on Dec 2022
- The Dragon’s Jaw Bridge: An Example Of Weapon Effectiveness—ETC NEWSLETTER on April 2021
Insights
After DOT&E: Reforming Test and Evaluation for the Age of Lethality
by Dr. Marcus Jones
Executive Summary
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.