Dr. Dave Netzer (left), former Dean of Research and retiring Director of the U.S. Special Operation Command-NPS Field Experimentation Cooperative, receives a plaque from U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Thomas J. Beikirch, J9 Wargaming and Experimentation Division Chief, honoring him for his outstanding contributions and service. He was also presented with a flag flown over USSOCOM headquarters along with a note of appreciation from Adm. Eric T. Olson. The presentation was made in the presence of William Shepherd, the new Special Operations Command Science and Technology Advisor, during a USSOCOM workshop on Jan. 15, 2009. Since 2003, Netzer has led the formation and development of the quarterly Tactical Network Topology field experiments, which bring together faculty and students from across campus along with government and industry collaborators to develop and test emerging technologies that will ultimately benefit the warfighter.