APL’s Research Organization: Then and Now

Research has been key to the Laboratory’s success since its very beginning. For the last 70 years, the focal point for research at APL has been its research center. During its long history, the research center has had several names and various incarnations driven by APL’s changing needs as it has grown and evolved over the last seven decades. This article briefly traces the history of the central research organizations and then focuses on the Research and Exploratory Development Department (REDD), at the heart of the Laboratory’s current research and development activities. REDD integrates strong engineering and prototype development activities with individuals focused on basic and applied research-yielding an innovative and creative organization capable of leading scientific and technological activities into the future.