Navy Metrology Engineering Education Outreach: Inspiring and Educating Students about Careers in Metrology

The Navy’s Metrology and Calibration (METCAL) Program is essential to effective operations, important to the Navy’s acquisition processes, and critical for proper and effective equipment maintenance and repair. The Navy could not operate effectively without a sound METCAL system in place. The Navy’s Metrology Engineering Center (MEC) and associated laboratory has a continuing need to hire engineers and scientists to engage in executing and maintaining the Navy’s METCAL system that supports the Navy worldwide. Unfortunately, it is extremely rare to find a graduating engineer or scientist that is aware of metrology. Typically, the only exceptions are graduates who have served in the military or worked as technicians before attending college. Metrology, or the Science of Measurement, is not a commonly known career field. In fact, metrology is seldom studied or discussed at any level of public or private education from grade school through college. The Navy’s Metrology Engineering Center and Measurement Science and Technology Laboratory has been involved in numerous partnerships and activities in an effort to educate students, teachers, professors, and counselors at all levels in the educational system about metrology as a career field. MEC’s STEM Outreach activities have been used to spread the metrology message along with partnering with colleges and universities. This paper will discuss many of the efforts that MEC has used to educate people about the field of metrology. The essence of the Navy Metrology and Calibration Program including its vast laboratory structure are provided as a foundation to illustrate skill sets and disciplines involved generally with metrology. Then, MEC’s partnerships and other activities to educate people about metrology and to inspire students to consider metrology as a career field are presented. Also, specific examples of projects with professional societies and other organizations involved with metrology are highlighted and discussed. Included are MEC’s various STEM outreach efforts highlighting metrology that align with DoD’s STEM Outreach Strategic Plan as well as partnerships developed with local colleges and universities. The intent of the paper will be to provide a basic understanding of metrology as an important career field, show ongoing efforts to educate students about metrology, provide some examples of existing basic metrology resource material, and inspire discussion about including metrology in early engineering and science classes as well as an available career field. Introduction/Background: The Navy Metrology Engineering Center and Gage and Standards Laboratory (now consolidated into the Measurement Science and Technology Laboratory) are located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona, CA (NSWC Corona Division). This Metrology Engineering Center and associated Laboratory are designated as the Navy’s Metrology and Calibration (METCAL) Program technical agent and provide for all of the Navy and Marine Corps Test and Measurement Systems (TAMS) research, development and engineering support. NSWC Corona Division employs over 1,500 engineers, scientists and technical support personnel directly and through support contracts with over 250 employed in the metrology and calibration field to execute the central technical agent responsibilities for the Navy’s METCAL Program. The engineering capabilities required to be sustained in order to perform this important function span a multitude of disciplines from electronic/electrical (both high and low power), mechanical, microwave, chemical, pressure, temperature, and physical/dimensional to name a few. Further, engineering expertise must be maintained to handle emerging technologies as well as those that were fielded as far back as 40 years ago, but remain in today’s military. In essence, the engineering talent must be maintained across both the time domain as well as the technical discipline domain in order to adequately execute the mission of providing full life cycle support for all Navy and Marine Corps TAMS. Newly hired engineers and scientists often have no background or understanding in metrology; thereby, requiring further training after employment in measurement science disciplines in order to supplement their basic education in engineering and science specialties. Typically, the only exceptions are graduates who have served in the military or worked as technicians before attending college. Metrology, or the Science of Measurement, is not a commonly known career field. In fact, metrology is seldom studied or discussed at any level of public or private education from grade school through college. Metrology is often confused with meteorology, but the two are radically different disciplines. Meteorology is the most familiar term and involves study of the weather. Metrology is the science of measurement. Many are unfamiliar with the term even though there exists a large national and international community of engineers and scientists that work in the metrology field. Metrology is often paired with the term “calibration” since calibration is the process whereby measurement devices are compared and their accuracies are adjusted. Metrology and calibration serve as the backbone of a sound measurement system whether at the international, national or local level. The international and national systems of measurement are nested in a hierarchy of measurement standards that are routinely compared to assure that measurements taken in any system are traceable and accurate to nationally and internationally maintained standards. All other measurement systems whether maintained within a company or by a state or within the Navy link into the national measurement system and maintain traceability to the national and international standards. Developing, maintaining and advancing these measurement systems, whether at the national, international or local level, is the job of the metrologist. History of Metrology: Metrology and calibration systems can be historically traced back to the earliest of times. One of the most cited examples of a metrology and calibration system that was in use during ancient times was the one used in the building of the great pyramids in ancient Egypt. It is believed that about 3,000 years B.C., the Egyptian unit of length was established. The Royal Egyptian Cubit was decreed to be equal to the length of the forearm from the bottom of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger plus the width of the palm of the hand of the ruling Pharaoh at that time. This length was carved onto a solid piece of black granite to endure for all time and was known as the Royal Cubit Master. Workers building tombs, temples and pyramids were supplied with cubit sticks made from wood or granite. The Royal Architect or foreman of each construction site was responsible for transferring and maintaining the unit of length to the workers cubit sticks. It was required that the cubit sticks be brought at each full moon to be compared (or calibrated) to the Royal Cubit Master. Penalty for failure to have the wooden cubit sticks calibrated was punishable by death. The use of the cubit sticks provided standardization and uniformity of all length measurements. This measurement system allowed for the construction of the pyramids with remarkable accuracy. In fact, the Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed to stand roughly 756 feet or 9,069.4 inches. Using cubit sticks and this calibration system, the builders came within 4.5 inches which equates to an accuracy of 0.05 %. 1 From these early times, metrology and calibration systems have advanced into the measurement system in place today. Although we all have become reliant on having standardization and uniformity in measurements, this does not occur on its own. An active scientific and technical community maintains and advances our international and national systems of measurements. Global trade and all societies rely on sufficiently accurate measurements to support commerce, manufacturing, maintenance, construction, diagnostics, trade and many other activities that we take for granted in today’s world. Although this paper is not intended to provide the complete details and history of the world of metrology, it is useful to provide a basic understanding of metrology so as to see the breadth and significance of metrology as a career field. A very general discussion of metrology basics will be presented followed by using the Navy’s METCAL Program as an example of the practical aspects of an active metrology and calibration system in use today. Metrology and Calibration Basics: Metrology is defined by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) as “the science of measurement, embracing both experimental and theoretical determinations at any level of uncertainty in any field of science and technology.” 2 The ontology and international vocabulary of metrology (VIM) is maintained by the International Organization for Standardization. Metrology is an extremely broad field, but may be generally divided into three main subfields: (1) Scientific or fundamental metrology, (2) Applied or industrial metrology, and (3) Legal metrology. Scientific or fundamental metrology concerns the establishment of quantity systems, unit systems, units of measurement; the development of new measurement methods and techniques; realization of measurement standards; and the transfer of traceability from these standards to users in society. Applied or industrial metrology concerns the application of measurement science to manufacturing, construction, maintenance and other important processes used in society to ensure the suitability of measurement instruments and provide for their calibration and quality control of measurements. Legal metrology concerns regulatory requirements of measurements and measurement instruments for the protection of health, public safety, the environment, consumers and fair trade as well as ena