By Javier Chagoya

NPS student Lt. Michael R. Cribbs, center, receives the 128th Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) John McReynolds Wozencraft Electrical and Computer Engineering Award, during the Summer Quarter Academic Awards ceremony in Herrmann Hall, Sept. 15. Pictured with the soon-to-be electrical engineering graduate is AFCEA Monterey Chapter President Lawrence Reeves, left, NPS President retired Vice Adm. Ronald Route, standing middle, and Cribbs' spouse Ingrid, twins Finn and Larsen and 4-year old daughter Anna.

Reeves noted that it was Cribbs' thesis, "Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Wavelet Packet Modulation Based Software-Defined Radio Transceiver Design," that caught his attention and made him a perfect selection for the award.

"His work revealed promising results in advancing the communications field, and it's this kind of inquiry that our engineers need to exhibit in the game of discovery," Reeves said.

Cribbs' thesis advisor, Professor Frank Kragh, had his own positive comments on the value of his student's effort.

"Michael's contributions include solving important design problems not previously discussed in the literature on wavelet packet modulation, including time and frequency synchronization, equalization and space-time codes," said Kragh.

In addition to the award itself, Cribbs earned a lifetime membership in AFCEA, and was presented with a copy the well-known textbook, "Principals of Communications Engineering," co-authored by Wozencraft and Dr. Irwin Jacobs.

Cribbs, a native of Eudora, Kansas, enlisted in the Navy in 2004, in the submarine force and went on to earn an officer's commission in the Seaman to Admiral-21 Program. Prior to attending NPS, he served aboard USS Alabama (SSBN 731).