Marshall Laminen, right, explains to Kyle Miller his small buoy tether project, part of the Powerful Engagement and Learning In Naval Engineering and Science (PIPELINES), final presentations and Design Challenge Awards.

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (Aug. 12, 2016) Marshall Laminen, right, explains to Kyle Miller his small buoy tether project, part of the Powerful Engagement and Learning In Naval Engineering and Science (PIPELINES), final presentations and Design Challenge Awards. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC) in collaboration with University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), hosted the PIPELINES, Design Challenge Awards, which culminated summer 2016's new workforce learning initiative, part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program at the Bard Mansion on Naval Base Ventura County. Laminen's small buoy tether project's objective was to develop and evaluate new concepts for tethering electro-optical communications cables attached from the small buoys to the sea floor, which are becoming increasingly more important to the U.S. Navy. (U.S. Navy Photo by Michael Ard) File# 160812-N-QU339-066