Mississippi Partnership Advances Heat Safety Solutions for Shipbuilders

PASCAGOULA, Miss. – May 28, 2026 – At Ingalls Shipbuilding, where heat and physical demands are part of the job, a collaboration is taking shape — one focused on protecting the people who build Mississippi’s ships.

Mississippi State University’s Athlete Engineering Institute (AEI), Ingalls Shipbuilding, AccelerateMS and NextFlex are working together to develop practical technologies that reduce heat stress and improve worker safety.

The effort grew from relationships, not a single moment. An AEI student interned with Ingalls and saw firsthand the challenges workers face in high-heat environments, sparking early conversations around heat mitigation. At the same time, Mississippi State and AccelerateMS were collaborating on workforce research, while AccelerateMS maintained a partnership with NextFlex, part of the Manufacturing USA network.

Those connections aligned around a shared goal: real-world solutions that help shipbuilders stay safe.

The work is part of MS-SHIPS, a broader collaborative effort bringing together defense manufacturers and suppliers, academic institutions, government agencies, economic development organizations, and nonprofits. Together, partners are working to strengthen and modernize South-Central Mississippi’s shipbuilding industry and defense manufacturing base.

“This project helped shift the focus from workforce training to workforce upskilling and preservation,” said Dr. Reuben Burch, former executive director and founder of AEI. “That includes maintaining worker health and safety while developing new skills with advanced manufacturing technologies.”

That focus is already producing results.

The CoolMitt device is now being used at Ingalls as a rapid cooling solution for craft workers. The team is also developing portable hydration stations to bring cooling technology and water closer to work areas inside ships.

“Growing up with shipbuilders, I’ve seen the pride that comes with building these ships, but I’ve also seen how demanding the work can be,” said Kaitlyn McDonald, a Ph.D. student in industrial and systems engineering. “They deserve to go home at the end of the day knowing their health and safety matters.”

Researchers are also advancing an in-ear wearable device that integrates temperature sensors into existing hearing protection to monitor core body temperature and detect early signs of heat stress. Alpha prototypes are ready for testing.

Mississippi State students have been central to the work — contributing to design, prototyping and testing while gaining hands-on experience in a multidisciplinary environment.

“This collaboration highlights the value of approaching complex challenges with a unified front,” said Anna Grace Dill, a research engineer with AEI. “By including shipbuilders in the design process from the beginning, we developed solutions that are more practical and meaningful.”

Together, these technologies aim to prevent heat-related illness by combining cooling tools, hydration access and real-time monitoring.

“Across our state, industries face numerous workforce challenges and opportunities,” said Dr. Lesley Strawderman, professor and associate director of AEI. “We are excited to play a role in helping keep Mississippi’s workforce safe.”

As testing continues, partners are working to refine the technologies and explore broader implementation.

“By including the shipbuilders who are the end users in the design process from the beginning, we were able to develop solutions that are more practical and meaningful,” said Dill.