As part of U.S. Navy Week, LSU Shreveport hosted a visit from Rear Admiral Dion D. English on Monday.

English toured the Cyber Collaboratory, which offers students and faculty access to state-of-the-art equipment like large-scale 3D printing, robotics and virtual reality.

The Slidell native also popped into the LSUS Veterans Resource Center and learned how the University assists veterans in furthering their education.

The one-star flag officer is the director of supply, ordnance and logistics operation division N4L in Washington D.C.

English graduated from LSU in 1993 after entering the Navy’s Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection Training Program.

His naval career has largely revolved around supply and logistics.

Navy Week consists of sailors from across the fleet descending on Shreveport-Bossier to take part in the service’s signature outreach program.

The visit to the area is the Navy’s first since 2018.

LSUS has a track record of partnering with U.S. military branches, which included the U.S. Air Force working with LSUS personnel at the Cyber Collaboratory to design and print a custom jig to accurately drill brake pads for B-52 Stratofortress bomber planes starting in 2022.

The Air Force said LSUS’s technology and expertise reduced a 16-hour job into a two-hour job, saving thousands of dollars in materials and time for each aircraft needing new brake pads.

The partnership resulted in LSUS and the Barksdale Air Force Base winning the Air Force Global Strike Command’s Doolittle Award for Innovation Excellence for the most innovative team.