Page 9: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2021)

of this iconic ocean champion. As the Acting and Deputy Ad- Census Bureau, foreign-born citizens are the second largest ministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- minority group in America, tied with African Americans. As istration (NOAA), I initiated and oversaw the development of a non-native English speaker who rose to the equivalent of a National Strategy and Plan to map and explore our oceans, as royalty in U.S. science, Walter embodied the American dream. well as similar efforts to add new and expand existing marine I never lost sight of this while I served in the Navy and at protected areas (MPAs), address marine plastic pollution, com- NOAA, deliberately including our immigrant teammates in bat coral disease, and advance ocean science and technology. my outreach and recognition during diversity events with em-

Walter’s legacy with Scripps also made notable contributions ployees, partners, and lawmakers.

to the 2019 White House Summit on Ocean Science and Tech- Several months after Walter passed away in February of nology Partnerships, which spurred the signing of a trove of 2019, his family asked me to be the Master of Ceremonies agreements between NOAA and partner organizations to move at a recognition event for him planned for October of that forward in areas such as ocean mapping, exploration, science, Year. This widely attended event was preceded by the Walter public understanding, countering illegal ? shing, conserving Munk Legacy Celebration hosted by Scripps the day before, coral reefs, and expanding the research and operational appli- and it was followed by a ceremony and paddle-out near the cation of autonomous systems and arti? cial intelligence. Scripps research pier the day after. Across the three days, the

A third aspect of Walter’s mark on America is the strength total measure of the man was summed by the extraordinary in diversity that he represented. Walter came to the United expanse, magnitude, and diversity of those who gave tribute to

States from Austria-Hungary in 1937, and in response to Nazi him. While the naming commission struggles to secure broad 3

Germany’s annexation of Austria in 1938, he applied for and public support for their Congressional mandate, they can do obtained U.S. citizenship in 1939. While discussions on di- no better in renaming the Navy’s newest oceanographic ship versity nowadays tend to focus on race, it is equally important after the loyal veteran, esteemed scientist, and naturalized citi- to include our immigrant population. According to the U.S. zen - Walter Munk.

OPERATING AT THE

SPEED OF AUTONOMY

As the leader of autonomous maritime systems, L3Harris is transforming future missions with its family of autonomous surface and underwater vehicles. L3Harris’ industry-leading,

ASView autonomy technology is an open architecture software with arti?cial intelligence and machine learning embedded to support situational awareness. The ASView™ control system enables autonomous operations or remote operations from a land-based control station to execute pre-programmed mission plans and real-time operations. Our technology rede?nes operational capability by enabling higher-risk missions, expanding operational reach and extending passive communications.

Learn more at L3Harris.com/ASView

L3HARRIS.COM www.marinetechnologynews.com 9

MTR #8 (1-17).indd 9 11/22/2021 11:24:06 AM