1423 Powhatan St., Suite 1
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Phone (703) 836-6727
Fax (703) 836-7491
Email: asnehq@navalengineers.org

 

ASNE is the leading professional engineering society for engineers, scientists and allied professionals who conceive, design, develop, test, construct, outfit, operate and maintain complex naval and maritime ships, submarines and aircraft and their associated systems and subsystems.  ASNE also serves the educators who train the professionals, researchers who develop related technology, and students who are preparing for the profession.  Society activities provide support for the U.S. Navy; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Marine Corps; U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Army.

ASNE is the seventh oldest technical society in the United States.  It was founded in 1888 by a group of naval engineering pioneers, most of them officers of the U.S. Navy's Engineering Corps, who sought a unified approach to their profession in order to make the most of new advances in technology. The purposes of ASNE are:           

  • to advance the knowledge and practice of naval engineering in public and private applications and operations,
  • to enhance the professionalism and well-being of members, and
  • to promote naval engineering as a career field.

For 125 years, the Society’s objectives have been strengthened and preserved to meet the changing needs of a time-honored profession. Today ASNE conducts a variety of technical meetings and symposia, publishes the highly regarded Naval Engineers Journal and a number of other technical proceedings and publications, and fosters professional development and technical information exchange through technical committees, local section activities and cooperative efforts with government organizations and other professional societies.

The Society's annual meeting, ASNE Day, is typically held in February of each year in the Washington, DC, area. The meeting features major addresses by high level industry and government leaders and panel discussions by leading members of the profession.  It also includes presentation and discussion of technical papers on a variety of timely naval engineering topics, presentation of the Society's prestigious annual awards and a large exposition with government and industry exhibits covering the full spectrum of naval engineering technology. ASNE Day is highlighted by the Society’s annual Honors Gala, attended by hundreds of executives and senior managers from both government and industry.

Our website is designed to not only serve our members, but also to support scholars, students and others interested in the varied field of naval engineering.  We welcome your suggestions on ways we can improve your experience. 

Stephen J. Rodgers

Award: Gold Medal Award
Year: 2000
Recipient:
Mr. Stephen J. Rodgers
Reason:
For his significant contribution to naval engineering as set forth in the following CITATION:

Mr. Rodgers has been personally and directly responsible for the successful development, design, construction and testing of the nuclear propulsion plant for the VIRGINIA class submarines. His technical and programmatic leadership had a profound and diverse impact in producing a simple, reliable and cost-conscious submarine design with construction, operation and maintenance at the forefront in every design decision. He is also paving the way for incorporation of electric drive propulsion into the VIRGINIA class.

Mr. Rodgers' success is characterized by significant advancements in diverse aspects of submarine design, by his technical leadership in transforming the submarine design process, and by his unprecedented success in completing the VIRGINIA class propulsion design on essentially the original schedule set in 1993. The technical advancements included the development of large engine-room modules to achieve required acoustic performance with a more robust and cost-effective design. He also radically simplified reactor compartment structural design, ensured a well-thought-out and carefully implemented approach to nearly paperless shipboard operation and maintenance, implemented notable environmental protection improvements that were recognized by the Secretary of the Navy Pollution Prevention Award, and led the way for future insertion of electric drive propulsion systems.

Mr. Rodgers transformed key elements of the submarine, propulsion-system design process through effective implementation of the "design/build" approach; establishment of a truly integrated ship design approach, practical application of computer-aided design, and timely use of full-scale demonstrations to prove critical aspects of new design approaches and construction techniques. The significance of these accomplishments and the important role the VIRGINIA class will play in the 21st Century Fleet mark Mr. Rodgers' achievements as truly first magnitude and he is indeed most worthy of the ASNE Gold Medal.