AOC Garden State Chapter Summer Professional Mixer

By AOC North Eastern Regional Director Myles P. Murphy

The AOC Garden State Chapter (GSC) held its Summer Professional Mixer at Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas in Clifton, New Jersey on Aug. 14.

Over 32 members of the GSC gathered for a cocktail reception to learn about all the great things the local chapter and national organization are doing. They also assembled to recognize several special individuals who would be presented local GSC awards. One individual was recognized for an award he received at the national level. A raffle was also held for several prizes. AOC North Eastern Director Myles Murphy was in attendance to update attendees on what is happening at the regional and national levels. He gave a short presentation and entertained questions from the attendees.

GSC Chapter President Nicole Zaretski tirelessly planned the event and it was huge success. Nicole welcomed everyone and thanked them for their unyielding support of the AOC and its mission. Nicole presented two local GSC awards.

Mr. Eric Pauls was presented the Rising Crow Award. Eric has made substantial contributions to the field of Electronic Warfare (EW) in his eight years at L3Harris, particularly in the emerging area of Cognitive EW. His work in AI/ML EW algorithm development has not only advanced the technical capabilities within this domain, but also ensured that these innovations are accessible to military decision makers and those on the front lines through his dedication to warfighter education and industry interaction. Eric has been a key player in shaping L3Harris’ advanced EW technology strategy, focusing on designing products for the future of EW. These are systems that are intelligent, affordable, connected, and multi-domain. He has served as an individual contributor, a lead engineer, and a principal investigator in a wide range of projects from initial concept development on DARPA programs, to maintaining and upgrading fielded TRL-9 systems. His expertise in mission modeling & simulation, geolocation and tracking, signal processing, and EW technique development is widely acknowledged, making him a respected voice in the community. Eric has distinguished himself both in his analytical problem solving and engineering endeavors, and in his ability to strategize, plan, and execute projects. He has consistently demonstrated leadership in coordinating multi-disciplinary teams, bridging gaps between various organizations within L3Harris and with its partner companies. His commitment to mentoring is commendable, as he invests in the growth of junior engineers by introducing them to new scientific and technological concepts and guiding them through the intricacies of the defense industry. Eric’s influence extends beyond immediate project results, contributing to the cultivation of the next generation of engineering talent.

Mr. Shawn Bialas was presented the NJ Engineering and Technical Excellence Award. Shawn began his career working on the AN/ALQ-211(v)4 & (V)9 AIDEWS electronic warfare systems. He led integration and development of key algorithms for detection, tracking, and resource management for the Block 5 upgrade. Prior to moving to L3Harris Advanced EW group, Mr. Bialas was the lead for the LRU-10 of the podded AIDEWS system for Turkey. Mr. Bialas’ initial assignment in the Advanced EW group was the lead systems engineer for integration and test of the Kearsarge 3 program for a classified customer. The system was an early attempt at a multi-function aperture for EW applications. While that program was cancelled due to external failure, Mr. Bialas architected and lead the execution of the Oktoberfest program. Oktoberfest is a 4kW AESA counter-surveillance electronic warfare capability. Since the Oktoberfest demo, Mr. Bialas has been working on architecting open systems as well as quick turn demonstrations that have included deploying an L3Harris Disruptor SRx™ as well as on a project for the US Army Project Convergence 2024 demonstration. Mr. Bialas is also serving a senior consulting role on L3Harris’ EMSO / DiSCO solutions which included leading the SHADOWSTALKER™ team to solve EMSO problems in the maritime domain.

Nicole also recognized Paul Wilkowski on his well-deserved selection as a 2024 Future 5 Awardee! Each year, AOC showcases five young professionals as the year’s Future 5, recognizing those who actively innovate and strive for excellence as they build their careers in the EMS/EW/IO industry. Paul will be recognized in several ways at the 2024 Annual AOC International Symposium & Convention, which will be held at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel in Oxen Hill, MD on December 11-13. He will be formally recognized on stage and highlighted in the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED) and AOC’s website, social media, and other communication platforms.

Lastly, Nicole announced award winners for the raffle. Below were the winners.

Picnic set: Shawn Bialas, L3Harris
Fisherman’s set: Keith Lo, L3Harris
Beach set:  Tobias McCurry, Analog Devices
Grand Prize Beach Lounger: John Ekis, G-Way Solutions

The event was enjoyed by all and the GSC has several more socials planned for the rest of the year. Thank you to the amazing President Nicole Zaretski for planning this event.