Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Naval and Marine Systems Division hosted a reception recently honoring the students participating in Northrop Grumman’s WORTHY (Worthwhile To Help High School Youth) mentoring and scholarship program.

Designed to encourage and advance program participants’ pursuit of technical degrees, the WORTHY program provides on-the-job experience and improved access to secondary education. This year’s WORTHY Day celebration allowed each of the students to present an in-depth overview of the projects they worked on throughout the year.

WORTHY participants included graduating seniors Tyler Rich of Western Albemarle High School, who plans to attend Piedmont Virginia Community College and transfer to the University of Virginia to pursue an engineering degree; Dakota Thomsen-Diggs of Monticello High School, who will seek either an economics or computer science degree from Harvard University; Michael Trotta of Albemarle High School, who will pursue a physics degree at The College of William & Mary; and Lena Turkheimer of Charlottesville High School, who will attend the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. Other WORTHY participants included juniors Lizzie Hylton, Dania Jazouli and Ephuah Yarney of Charlottesville High School; junior John Oliver of Albemarle High School; and junior Michelle Walker of Monticello High School.

“The WORTHY program exemplifies Northrop Grumman’s ongoing commitment to educational outreach in the local community,” said Jeff Holloway, director of International and U.S. defense business development, marketing and sales for the company’s Maritime Systems business unit, and executive sponsor of the WORTHY program. “Northrop Grumman, with its engineering presence, provides a unique opportunity for the students to envision and create personalized engineering projects in a real-world setting.”

The 2010 graduating WORTHY participants each provided their unique perspectives on this multi-year commitment:

“My participation in the WORTHY program has given me actual hands-on work experience and a real sense of accomplishment,” said Rich.

“It was great to actually see the final results of my work and I appreciate the support I received from the mentors,” commented Trotta.

“The experience I’ve gained through the WORTHY program has given me a real advantage in the classroom,” added Turkheimer.

“I’m looking forward to applying my real-world knowledge as I begin college in the fall,” said Thomsen-Diggs.

Audience members at the WORTHY reception included students and their families and their Northrop Grumman mentors, plus George Cahen, professor of Materials Science and Engineering and director of Experiential Programs and Engineering Outreach at the University of Virginia; and other local school representatives.

Eighteen Northrop Grumman employees specializing in program management, business management, information technology and various engineering disciplines volunteered to serve as mentors. Over the course of the year, the students, with the help of their mentors, worked on a special project of their choice. Rich’s project implements modifications to an orthopedic stander, including electrically-driven adjustment points, providing better comfort and ease of use during physical therapy. Thomsen-Diggs’ project is a collaboration with the Northrop Grumman marketing team on the development of a brochure for the new product, Performance-Based Navigation (PBN), which optimizes planned routes and provides up-to-date weather visualization. Trotta used Lego® Mindstorm® components and sensors in his project to create a projectile launcher that can locate an infrared target, calculating its distance and angle, before firing a projectile at the target. Turkheimer created a device that captures energy from wave motion to move a piston up and down, turning a crankshaft that is connected to a motor being driven as a generator.

Initially launched in 1997 by Northrop Grumman in Baltimore, WORTHY has been expanded to nine additional campuses, including Charlottesville. Local organizers aim to recruit approximately five new students each year. To be eligible for the program, rising high school sophomores and juniors must be residents of and attend a public high school within the Albemarle County or Charlottesville City limits, maintain a 3.0+ grade point average (GPA) during the course of the program, and have earned a 3.0+ GPA for at least two consecutive semesters prior to applying. Participants are also required to submit a four-part essay, provide a letter of recommendation from a school counselor or community leader and be eligible to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance. Mentors must also apply and pass a background check.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.