The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will welcome Rear Admiral Matthew Pottenburgh, commander of the U.S. Naval Service Training Command, for a special visit on Wednesday as part of Milwaukee Navy Week.
Pottenburgh will tour UWM’s Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems in the College of Engineering & Applied Science. Led by Rob Cuzner, the Richard & Joanne Grigg Professor and director of the center, the tour will highlight cutting-edge Navy-funded research on electric-ship technology and its dual-use potential for modernizing the nation’s electrical grid.
Media are invited to attend the tour and research briefing, which will take place Wednesday, July 16, 2025, at 2 p.m.
About the research
The U.S. Navy is investing in the development of smaller, more agile, all-electric ships that are more efficient, require less maintenance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. UWM’s research, led by Cuzner, addresses the engineering challenges of increasing electrical capacity in compact shipboard systems.
This work is also being commercialized through a private industry partnership to help modernize the U.S. electrical grid. Cuzner recently received a $1.2 million grant from the Office of Naval Research, in collaboration with Arizona State University, to advance virtual prototyping for these systems.
About Navy Week
Milwaukee Navy Week is coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach to connect Americans with the Navy. This is the sixth time Milwaukee has hosted Navy Week. UWM, which is nationally recognized as a military-friendly university and enrolls more veterans than any other campus in the Midwest, is the only university being visited by Navy leadership during this year’s events.
Media access
Members of the media are invited to cover the lab tour at the UWM University Services and Research Building, 115 E. Reindl Way, Glendale. The full tour will run from 2 to 3 p.m., with an explanation of the research UWM is conducting for the Navy at the beginning. Pottenburgh and Cuzner will be available for questions. Media are asked to RSVP via email to media-services-team@uwm.edu. Parking is available in a fenced-in lot at the USRB. Ring the buzzer at the gate for entry and meet in the lobby to be escorted to the lab within the USRB.