Ian's Answer

I worked on an Independent Research and Development (IR&D) project to develop a biomimetic jellyfish autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The IR&D was broken into three distinct phases:

Phase I: Determine the feasibility of constructing a jellyfish AUV. The feasibility study involved researching the state of the art in the field of AUVs to ensure that similar technology did not already exist. In addition a survey of potential technologies was undertaken to determine the most promising set of components for the first prototype iteration.
Phase II: The success of Phase I allowed for the allocation of additional funds to undertake Phase II, the design and prototyping phase. Over the course of Phase II I designed and build the mechanical, electrical and software systems for the prototype. By the conclusion of the phase I had a working, proof of concept, prototype in the water that demonstrated various swimming gates that were of interest.
Phase III: The final phase of the IR&D focused on the potential payloads (sensor packages) the AUV could carry. The payloads helped to define the capabilities of the AUV and thus, the agency that would pick up the project for further development.

I was given responsibility over of all aspects of the IR&D project including writing the proposals, scheduling, tracking the budget and resources and procuring the necessary materials and equipment.

In addition I worked on a Critical Infrastructure Protection project. A team of employees compiled and distilled reports and data about various disasters that have affected the country in recent years and applied the lessons learned from those disasters to the Pacific Northwest. I was responsible for determining the lessons learned from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. I used those lessons learned to create a list of recommendations to better prepare the Northwest for a disaster.