NPS Faculty Battle Extreme Environments to Further AUV Research
by Kenneth A. Stewart, NPS Naval Postgraduate School Research Associate Tad Masek, left, Research Associate Professor Douglas Horner, center, and Research Assistant Professor Noel Du Toit, right, are pictured on the frozen surface of Pavilion Lake, British Columbia with two of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) that they are using to conduct experiments on AUV operation in extreme, under-ice environments. Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Research Associate Professor Douglas Horner and Research Assistant Professor Noel Du Toit recently returned from remote Pavilion Lake, British Columbia where they investigated Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) operations in extreme, under-ice environments. “The Navy is very interested in our ability to work under the ice using autonomous vehicles,” said Horner. Pavilion Lake is located some 250 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, British Columbia. Its frozen-over waters became