Mary Claire McLaughlin is the Digital Capabilities Lab Manager at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), and a key member of the acclaimed “Project Dogfish” intrepreneurial innovation team. Mary Claire was born in Norfolk and raised in Hampton Roads. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University in 2010. Upon graduation Mary Claire joined NNS and worked in submarine engineering as the lead of the external hydraulic system on the OHIO Replacement Submarine Program. Early in her career Mary Claire recognized the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) to empower the industrial workforce and knew that she wanted to be a part of integrating this important technology into the shipbuilding industry. Mary Claire joined the AR Team at NNS in 2014 after many years of following the development of the technology. In 2017 she became the AR Project Supervisor leading an experienced team of AR experts that develop and deploy innovative industrial AR solutions to the shipyard, the Navy, and commercial clients. Her team has recently taken on responsibility for conducting research and rapid prototyping across multiple strategic technologies forming Newport News Shipbuilding’s Digital Capability Lab.

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