Naval Postgraduate School celebrates 2026 Summer graduation

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) held its 2026 Summer graduation ceremony in Monterey, California, awarding 179 degrees to 177 graduates. The cohort included 26 international students representing 14 different countries, preparing them for roles in the military, government, and national security sectors.

Graduates presented research addressing critical defense challenges. Navy Lt. Kristina Bodeman developed SPELL (Spec-to-Shell), an AI-driven system designed to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities in networks. Her research focused on using smaller, local AI models to ensure sensitive information remains secure without relying on cloud connectivity.

Additionally, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Dylan Bruns conducted research on military energy resilience by creating a digital twin of a microgrid. His work utilized virtual modeling to test how compact power systems perform in operational environments, offering potential applications for integrating renewable energy into critical infrastructure like hospitals and military installations.