Yadira Gilchrest, a senior computer scientist at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, was recently named a winner of Women of Color magazine’s Technology Rising Star award. The award recognizes minority women who have demonstrated exceptional achievements in their workplace and communities. Gilchrest currently works in NUWC’s sensors and sonars systems department, where she’s particularly interested in studying the effects of undersea testing on marine species. She holds a B.S. and an M.S. in mathematics from University of Central Florida. more

General Dynamics Electric Boat was awarded three contracts totaling $4.6 billion from the U.S. Navy to design and develop the next-generation strategic-deterrent submarine, and to continue the construction of Virginia-class attack submarines. more

KVH Industries Inc.’s profit rose 71.9 percent during the fourth quarter of 2012 and 316 percent for the year as a whole, the company reported Tuesday. more

(Updated, 10:15 a.m.) Raytheon Co., one of the world’s largest missile makers, boosted its full-year profit forecast and said third-quarter profit rose less than 1 percent. more

Picerne Military Housing, a division of Corvias Group, broke ground Wednesday in Fort Meade, Md., in the first-ever, public-private partnership to build on-post barracks with the U.S. Army. more

The economic impact of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport exceeded $935 million during 2012, according to NUWC officials. more

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Professor John Buck has received a $743,000 research grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to help improve sensor arrays for sonar systems. more

Rhode Island could face $34.1 million in Defense Department civilian payroll cuts if automatic spending cuts kick in on March 1, the Associated Press reported. more

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel should include funds in the Pentagon’s next budget request to start work on a U.S. East Coast site for 20 anti-missile interceptors as a defense against Iran, House Republicans said. more

The U.S. Navy will propose increased submarine and aircraft carrier funding in its budget request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, while sticking to its plan for the troubled Littoral Combat Ship, according to internal figures obtained by Bloomberg News. more