NC State engineering students among the first women to serve on submarines

Two North Carolina State University engineering students will be among the first women ever to serve on US submarines.

Karen Achtyl and Megan Bittner, chemical engineering majors and members of NC State’s Naval ROTC program, will begin training for their submarine positions after graduating magna cum laude from NC State on May 15. The Navy on April 29 announced a policy change that allows women to serve on submarines.

To land their new positions, the midshipmen had to go through an extensive interview process with the top Navy officer in the submarine force.

Achtyl, an officer candidate from Rochester, NY, has served in multiple billets as a member of the Wolfpack Battalion, including command master chief. She also taught part-time in Wake County public schools as part of the College’s RAMP-UP program, which recognizes math and engineering potential in historically under-represented children.

Bittner, a midshipman from Chesapeake, Va., has also been a top performer in the Wolfpack Battalion, eventually becoming the midshipman battalion commander. She received the Chief of Naval Operations’ distinguished graduate award for her leadership and academic achievements.

“I don’t believe the Navy could have picked two finer females to pioneer the entrance of females in the submarine community,” Marine Corps Lt. Col. Timothy Nichols, executive officer of the North Carolina Piedmont Region Naval ROTC consortium, said in a news release. “These are two outstanding midshipmen and the perfect candidates to be officers and leaders in the submarine force. They are both ready and eager to start their Navy careers.”

Additional coverage from the News & Observer.