February 2020
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About  Us
In 2002, the Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance (SENEDIA) was formed to identify, coordinate, and  champion issues that contribute to our national security and provide benefit to our members, local communities, the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and other Federal agencies.
 
SENEDIA's vision is to be a catalyst for thought leadership and technical innovation in undersea technology, cybersecurity and other critical defense technologies. Our mission is to enable development of innovative technology, foster thought leadership, and facilitate required economic and workforce development.
 
SENEDIA is a 501(c)(6) corporate and individual membership organization. Our alliance maintains detailed knowledge of the industrial base that supports our local Federal, Defense and Homeland Security installations, and provides up-to-date information on Defense and Homeland Security industry issues and initiatives to our members, citizens, state and local governments, and Congressional delegations.

Member Profil e: Night Vision Technology Solutions

What is your company's history?
In May 2014, Joe Janson established NVTS Night Vision Technology Solutions as an LLC in Rhode Island, becoming 100% owner and CEO of the original company that got its start in 2010. NVTS is an ITAR registered Veteran Owned Small Business based in Jamestown, RI.
 
What services and/or products does your company provide?
NVTS Night Vision Technology Solutions LLC designs and builds electro optical infrared camera systems, primarily for the military. With a solid history working in defense, NVTS is now entering the offshore wind energy industry, launching our new Marine Mammal Detection camera system at London's Oceanology International, March 17-19, 2020. NVTS will be exhibiting at the RI Pavilion, station A500.
 
US Government Agencies such as the US Navy, DARPA, US Army, and Naval Research Lab ( NRL, have selected NVTS to design and build-to-mission, high technology camera systems to solve a variety of specific problems. Our camera systems are installed on autonomous vehicles, shipboard platforms, and armored vehicles, in addition to coastal and border surveillance applications.
 
NVTS designed and delivered camera systems into 4 major product categories. Our camera systems solved field technical challenges that were not available by through the standard industry giants.
 
Armored Vehicle Driver Vision: The Patriot DVE A   N/VAS 5B camera system was designed to retrofit the US Army's M88 recovery vehicle and other legacy vehicles including the popular M113. NVTS introduced its new ALERT DVE wide series which stitches multiple the rmal sensors together providing the driver a wide pano ramic thermal image.
 
Stabilized Shipboard and Ground Vehicle Cameras : for use with Navy, Coast Guard and ISR Vehicle surveillance applications.
 
Remote Weapon System Optics (RWS): NVTS Kepler HD thermal machine vision RWS optics for use with autonomous ground vehicles.
 
Autonomous Surface Vehicles : US Navy's 132 Ft Autonomous vessel Sea Hunter.
 
Why do you consider membership in SENEDIA valuable?
The defense industry feels a lot smaller through our membership with SENEDIA; an exceptional organization providing niche contacts, networking opportunities and timely information impacting day-to-day business. NVTS has also taken advantage of SENEDIA's stellar internship program. Our only regret is having joined SENEDIA so late in the game.
 
If another company wants to do business with yours, whom should they contact?
Joe Janson CEO/Founder: Mobile: 401-225-5979, Office: 401-560-0807 x107
 
New SENEDIA Members

INDUS Technology, Inc., formed in 1991 in San Diego CA, provides systems engineering, technical and program management services for government and industry clients including NAVSEA and SPAWAR. INDUS Technology is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and teammates with several other SENEDIA member companies.

Founded in 1920, Miller & Chevalier is a Washington, DC law firm with practices in Tax, Litigation, International Law, Employee Benefits (including ERISA), White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations, and Government Affairs. Miller & Chevalier is sharply focused on targeted areas that interact with the federal government. Over the past three years, the firm's lawyers have represented more than 40 percent of the Fortune 100, one-quarter of the Fortune 500, and approximately 30 percent of the Global 100. A significant number of firm lawyers have held senior positions in the U.S. government and have written many of the regulations they currently help clients navigate.
Upcoming Events
Tech Talk:  National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology (www.niuvt.us)
Tuesday 25 February
7:30 AM Networking/Continental Breakfast
8:00 - 10:00 AM Program
Atlantic Resort Wyndham  
240 Aquidneck Avenue, Middletown, RI

During this Tech Talk, National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology (NIUVT) Executive Director Erik Brine will share an overview of this new and innovative partnership between the Universities of Connecticut and Rhode Island, government, and industry.
 
Undersea dominance is an enduring capability that is a key foundation of our national defense, as articulated by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Chief of Naval Operations. That dominance is now under threat by the reemergence and rise of near-peer adversaries. Rapidly advancing technology is making the undersea domain more accessible by both military and non-governmental entities and the lines between security sector and co
mmercial capabilities are blurring more every day. Authoritarian governments have the ability to focus all instruments of national power to advance capabilities in specific technological areas in ways that a democratic capitalistic society like the United States does not.
 
The U.S. government does not have the ability to direct industry or academic investment in the ways some competitors do so instead, it must find innovative ways to incentivize collaboration, cooperation, and investment between government, industry, and academia in order to compete and stay ahead of growing threats. The NIUVT is one of these innovative efforts that can align investment across government, industry, and academia for U.S. national security and national economic advancement. 
 
Erik Brine is the founding Executive Director of the
NIUVT.  Prior to his current position he has held leadership positions throughout the defense industry, the non-profit sector, federal government, and the military.  
 
Tech Talk:  MITRE: Accelerating Maritime Technology Innovation  
Thursday 12 March
7:30 AM Networking/Continental Breakfast
8:00 - 10:00 AM Program
Atlantic Resort Wyndham  
240 Aquidneck Avenue, Middletown, RI
 
During this Tech Talk, Nick Rotker, department head at the MITRE Corporation and currently leading MITRE's R&D efforts in the undersea and maritime domains, will discuss MITRE's key research focus areas, as well as collaborations and initiatives in the maritime space.

The MITRE Corporation is a not-for-profit company that operates multiple federally funded research and development centers ( FFRDCs). MITRE works across the government, through their FFRDCs and public-private partnerships, to tackle problems that challenge the  nation's safety, stability and well-being. Through internal Research & Development (IR&D) and collaborations with industry and academia, MITRE looks to accelerate maritime technology innovation to deliver capabilities to their government sponsors.
 
Presenter: Nick Rotker is a department head at the MITRE corporation and currently leading MITRE's R&D efforts in the undersea and maritime domains. He has over 10 years of experience in areas of underwater acoustics, SONAR, signal processing, algorithm development, and distributed sensing systems. His roles include business development and external outreach in maritime defense and operations facilitating collaboration across the Navy, DOD, industry, and academia. He holds a BSEE from the University of Vermont, an MSEE from Tufts University. 
Interns Available
SENEDIA currently has two great intern candidates available to place now-both came highly recommended by the deans of their respective programs. SENEDIA pays the intern's $1500 stipend through our Real Jobs RI grant.

Blayne P. will graduate this month with a B.S. in Robotics Engineering from Johnson & Wales University. He has an active security clearance from internships at General Dynamics Electric Boat and Fort Detrick US Army Medical Research and Material Command.

Zack D. is majoring in Cybersecurity & Networking at Rogers Williams University and graduating in May. His computer skills include Java, Python, C++, and Linux.

If interested in either interning at your company, please contact Townley Knudson at tknudson@senedia.org.
MassChallenge Launches Applications for Its Rhode Island Accelerator
MassChallenge, a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators, announced that applications for the 2020 Rhode Island program are now open. This year's accelerator will support 30 of the world's highest-growth startups through access to MassChallenge's powerful network of support and resources. At the culmination of the four-month program, top startups will be awarded shares of more than $500K in cash prizes at the 2020 MassChallenge Awards.  

Drawing on more than 10 years of insights, the MassChallenge accelerator is designed to drive startup outcomes throughout the early-stage lifecycle. To date, MassChallenge has accelerated more than 2,344 startups, which have collectively raised more than $5 billion in funding, generated more than $2.7 billion in revenue, and created more than 136,000 total jobs.

"Innovation plays an integral role in strengthening ecosystems around the world," said Hope Hopkins, Managing Director, MassChallenge Rhode Island. "With support from the diverse and engaged community in Rhode Island, our entrepreneurs can scale to address critical industry needs, stimulate commercial activity, fuel economic resiliency, and support job creation efforts throughout the state. We look forward to identifying our next cohort of value creators." 

While MassChallenge remains industry agnostic, the 2020 Rhode Island program will offer specialized resources to startups in the blue technology, insurance technology, and consumer packaged goods spaces, which they have identified as emerging areas of local and global innovation. 

The BlueTech Track will run within the 2020 Rhode Island program and will support early-stage startups with a technical competency that can be applied to challenges like:
  • Oceanography: Focus on sensors, sensing, modeling, big data, and data analytics
  • Autonomy: Focus on platform autonomy/ functionality and position, navigation, and timing (PNT) both above and below the surface
  • Connectivity: Focus on connected devices and improving communication between devices above and below the surface
  • Sustainability: Focus on power, renewables, coastal resiliency, and aquaculture
Once admitted to the accelerator, MassChallenge with input from our expert network of blue economy focused partners, will provide specialized content and connections to this subset of startups.

Startups interested in applying to the 2020 MassChallenge Rhode Island accelerator can visit  masschallenge.org/apply to get started on their application. The deadline to submit is February 26 (Early Bird) and March 9 (Final Deadline).