| National Engineers Week Presents the New Faces of Engineering.  Darren Bryant
Employed by: Lockheed Martin
Program Manager, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Dallas, Texas MS Materials Science and Engineering, Penn State University
BS Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science, University of California, Davis Darren Bryant was nominated in recognition of his outstanding technical and management accomplishments, as well as his energetic advocacy for young people entering the engineering profession. Bryant was nominated to the Engineering Leadership Development Program soon after joining Lockheed Martin, and has made significant contributions at each rotational assignment. He successfully developed a manufacturing process for a survivability research program, satisfying a Lockheed Martin Sector Milestone accomplishment. In another assignment, Darren developed 3D simulations of assembly operations in flexible manufacturing cells, and was recognized with a special performance award for his accomplishments. He has earned Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification and supported Engineering Kaizen events. He served on an Integrated Process Team to develop a Capability Maturity Model Integrated compliant engineering process, and was recognized with a special recognition award for his contribution. Bryant currently serves as program manager on an autonomous unmanned combat vehicle development program, an extraordinary responsibility for his experience level. In addition to his business accomplishments, Bryant has been active in professional society activities, supporting numerous career development activities. « back  Jason T. Carter, P.E.
Nominated by: National Society of Professional Engineers
Employer: Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., Birmingham, Alabama
MS Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati
BS Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University The citizens of Birmingham, Alabama can look forward to clean, safe drinking water for the years to come thanks to the Water Quality Initiative spearheaded by Jason Carter, as the Malcolm Pirnie project manager. The Initiative is built on the vision of the utility as a premier water supplier and includes elements of immediate, near-term, and long-term water quality master planning. Immediate measure included work with staff to develop a web-based compliance system for efficient data management and expanded water testing to ensure high quality drinking water. The Initiative also includes regulatory update and industry forecast seminars for decision-makers, performance benchmarking, operation guidance, and bench-scale testing workshops for operation staff. By collaborating with the client to develop a long-term water quality initiative and to protect source water quality, Jason works to ensure the future availability of potable water for the citizens of Birmingham. Jason works with the state to improve education regarding water quality and supports water quality programs for utilities in Mobile, Alabama and Columbus, Georgia. He was recognized by the Alabama-Mississippi Section American Water Works Association as "Outstanding Young Professional for 2001" for founding the Young Professionals Committee. He also volunteers for United Cerebral Palsy, supporting fundraising events. « back  Alicia M. Dwyer Cianciolo
Nominated by: NASA
Employer: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
MS Mechanical Engineering, George Washington University
BS Physics, Creighton University Growing up in rural Nebraska, Alicia came to appreciate the effect accurate weather predictions had on the livelihood of those in the farming community. She never dreamed that just six years after graduating from high school, she would be predicting the weather on Mars. A NASA aerospace engineer, Alicia was part of a team that placed the Mars Odyssey orbiter safely around Mars. Odyssey is looking for water and characterizing the geology and climate of Mars to determine if life ever existed. However, before it could begin taking pictures of the planet, Odyssey had to pass through the atmosphere of Mars several hundred times, using a fuel saving strategy called aerobraking. Alicia developed computer models of the atmosphere to predict the weather on Mars where the daily changes posed a constant threat to the spacecraft. In 1999 she received her bachelor's degree in physics from Creighton University and participated in the Langley Research Summer Scholar program. In 2001, Alicia led a team of students in a national design competition, winning first place for their design of a Mars propellant storage facility. She received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from The George Washington University in 2001. "Engineering has been a very challenging but rewarding field in which I am constantly learning and adapting to new situations," said Alicia, who currently works on atmosphere and entry trajectory simulations for Mars airplane and precision lander missions. « back  Joleen Codner
Nominated by: Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Employer: Northrop Grumman Corporation, Baltimore, Maryland
MS Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Lehigh University
BS Materials Science and Engineering, Lehigh University Joleen Codner is a manufacturing process engineer in microelectronics engineering. Her position is multi-disciplinary, interacting with design, manufacturing, management, etc. Over the past year, she also co-authored on an invention discolosure and is working on another. She has participated in National Engineers Week by visiting local high schools to educate and increase the students' interest in engineering. « back  Cynthia Cogil, P.E.
Nominated by: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
Employer: SmithGroup, Inc., Washington, DC
MS Architectural Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
BS Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas Since completing graduate studies in Architectural Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, Cynthia Cogil has established herself as a leading practitioner of environmentally conscious building design. She has worked on a wide range of projects including educational, museum, corporate office and research facilities. Her most notable project to date is the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Philip Merril Environmental Center in Annapolis, MD, which is the first building to receive the highest possible “Platinum” rating according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design criteria, and the winner of awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and others. Another noteworthy recent project is the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, winner of the 2002 Catalyst award from the DC Chapter of AIA. She is a frequent panelist and speaker on green buildings, energy efficiency techniques, and integrated building design. « back  Monique De Jesus
Nominated by: American Society of Civil Engineers
Employer: Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., White Plains, NY
MEng, Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
BS Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology As part of the Malcolm Pirnie team which inventories closed, transferred, or transferring (CTT) firing ranges for the U.S. Army, Monique De Jesus is responsible for visiting the installations, interviewing employees, researching archives and historical documents, and writing technical reports. Her work inventorying dozens of Army installations for unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions and munitions constituents, has helped identify many forgotten and abandoned ranges and will help Congress determine the amount of funds needed to make them safer and to mitigate any environmental impacts that may have been caused by the day-to-day operations of the range. She will be helping with the Navy's Closed, Transferred, or Transferring range inventory as well. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Monique became a licensed Asbestos Air Sampling Technician to assist in air quality monitoring and testing near Ground Zero. She spent two months evaluating the air in apartments in lower Manhattan. « back  Ernesto Guzman
Nominated by: American Consulting Engineers Council
Employer: Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., Latham, New York
MS Civil Engineering
BS Civil Engineering, Universidad de los Andes Ernesto Guzman utilizes his education and experience in engineering and information technology to design effective information management systems that complete environmental engineering related functions. He has successfully designed and implemented computer software tools that evaluate hydraulic models, stream water quality, and storm sewer systems. Using the latest dynamic programming techniques, Ernesto built a tracer tool for Buffalo, NY. This map-based tool picks up the components of any network system by following the flow path as set by the network topology. This tool is used to perform analysis along branched sewer networks -- simplifying the analysis over tree-type data structures. Ernesto revolutionized the way that the Cincinnati Sewer System is managed by enhancing a desktop application that manages data for maintenance purposes. He designed an application that tracks maintenance crews, and all the relevant information for sewer inspections including a Digital Video Indexing tool that displays particular sections of interest along sewer segments. Ernesto developed a data management application with a friendly Graphical User Interface to perform hydraulic calculations for water and wastewater treatment plant designs. The program is still in development stage, but it's expected to be used as a standard application for major hydraulic analysis throughout Malcolm Pirnie. « back  Yu Shan Huang
Nominated by: Chinese Institute of Engineers / USA
Employer: Trinity Consultants, Inc., Kent, Washington
BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Yu Shan Huang is an environmental consultant specializing in air quality related issues including computer air dispersion modeling, pollutant control technology analysis, environmental regulations review, and various permitting projects for industries. During the energy crisis in early 2001, she assisted a major energy company in delivering additional energy resources to California by supporting air permitting and impact analyses across several western states. She conducted emission inventory of greenhouse gases and regulated pollutants as well as assessed air quality impacts of industrial developments near the United States and Canadian border, for review by the public and governmental agencies in both countries. She performed air quality analyses for the Bureau of Land Management's fire management strategy and oil, gas, and mineral resources development. She worked cooperatively with the Washington Department of Ecology in conducting an air dispersion modeling experiment to evaluate the validity of a screening tool commonly used in dispersion modeling analyses nationwide. The results of the study were presented in the Pacific Northwest International Section conference in 2002. Yu Shan believes that the greatest thing about an engineering career is to gain soft skills that are transferable to other aspects of life. She volunteers extensively with the Tzu Chi Foundation, an international charity and disaster relief organization founded in Taiwan, and founded the high school youth group for Tzu Chi's Seattle branch office. Using the skills she learned as an engineer, she has great experience working with high school students while planning, coordinating and leading activities for the youth group. To her, being an engineer makes a positive impact to the society both technically and non-technically. « back  Corinne Lengsfeld, Ph.D.
Nominated by: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Employer: University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
Post Doctoral Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder
PhD Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Irvine
MS Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Irvine
BS Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Irvine Dr. Lengsfeld's current research is in biotechnology. Lengsfeld and her colleagues are investigating the role of hydrodynamic shear stress in the large-scale production as well as purification of therapeutic DNA, which often degrades and loses biological capabilities when processed and delivered. The goal of the research is to establish guidelines for the cost-effective design and manufacturing of equipment used to process DNA while maintaining its essential physical properties. The National Science Foundation is funding this important research, which is a strongly interdisciplinary activity involving mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, physicians, and pharmaceutical scientists. In an earlier research program, Dr. Lengsfeld investigated the behavior of nano- and micro-particle properties when carbon dioxide was used to release drugs from miniature therapeutic devices implanted in the body. The research plays a role in cancer treatments, in which medicinal drugs must attack only specific tumors, and new gene/medicine agents, in which the cost of the drug is prohibitive if not applied to a targeted site. Lengsfeld is an expert in fluid dynamics and atomization physics and continues to contribute to the classic mechanical engineering discipline of combustion science. « back  First Lieutenant Star Longo, P.E.
Nominated by: U.S. Air Force Office of the Civil Engineer
Employer: U.S. Air Force, Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California
MS Civil Engineering, North Carolina State University
BS Civil Engineering, The Citadel Military College of South Carolina As Project Engineer for the 61st Civil Engineer Division at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Lt. Longo is a member of a team breaking new ground in facility recapitalization for the Department of Defense (DoD) as part of the source selection team for the Systems Acquisition and Management Support (SAMS) project. The SAMS project is a unique approach to revitalize facilities. The net result is the DoD will replace antiquated facilities that do not meet current seismic standards with new facilities without expending Congressionally appropriated tax payers dollars -- a savings of $150 million. Lt. Longo was key to the project's developer selection and the lead evaluator of construction schedules and phasing during the selection process. His technical expertise and rock-solid analysis of competing bidders clearly distinguished between potential developers. Lt. Longo is a Registered Professional Engineers in California and an experienced researcher. In his previous position he led a research project on bridge girders for the North Carolina State Department of Transportation. The analytical program that he developed allows highway designers to reduce project costs while providing safer highway infrastructure. Lt. Longo also supports development of future engineers through his volunteer work in local public schools where he is a mentor for the MATHCOUNTS and Future Scientists and Engineers of America programs. « back  Kent L. Nettleingham
Nominated by: American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Employer: ConocoPhillips, Borger, Texas
BS Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University Kent Nettleingham works at the ConocoPhillips Borger, Texas, refinery to responsibly deliver energy in the United States. He is currently using computerized non-linear process simulators to improve the accuracy of refinery unit simulations. The ability to rapidly respond to changes in crude oil feedstocks provides a competitive advantage in the mature refining industry. Kent’s improvements are producing more accurate evaluations of refinery unit performance with respect to changing crude oil feedstocks. Prior to his work with non-linear process simulators, Kent led a cross-functional team to determine future solutions to octane demand. Through Kent’s leadership, personnel from refinery operations, stock and blending, solvents, and economics determined future octane demand and provided solutions for potential octane shortages. The solutions ranged from eliminating bottlenecks to identifying new customers and markets. « back  Lesia Riddick
Nominated by: National Society of Black Engineers
Employer: Procter & Gamble Company, Corporate Engineering Technology Labs, West Chester, Ohio
MS Mechanical Engineering, Tennessee State University.
BS Mechanical Engineering, Southern Methodist University. Lesia Riddick is a practicing engineer at the Procter & Gamble Company, West Chester (near Cincinnati), Ohio, where she has applied theoretical and practical approaches to increasing production. Her expertise has been used with a broad range of well-known products like Pringles (potato crisps) and Swiffer (floor cleaner). Lesia is also EIT certified and holds an office in the National Society of Black Engineers -- Cincinnati Alumni Extension organization. « back  Alyse R. Stofer
Nominated by: Society of Women Engineers
Employer: Data Sciences International, Inc., Arden Hills, Minnesota
MS Biological Science, University of Minnesota
BS Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa Alyse Stofer works as a mechanical design engineer for Data Sciences International, a leader in telemetric and physiologic monitors, where she has two major achievements, both critical to the company’s success. One of Alyse’s achievements, successfully designing and testing a new silicone gel material critical to the function of many company products, demonstrated leadership of a cross-functional research, development, and manufacturing team. Her second achievement involves work on both the pressure sensor and catheter of a device that will be placed in the left ventricle of the heart. This product will assist physicians in monitoring congestive heart failure and applying appropriate drug therapies. She designed and tested the main product component and material, producing two patents pending. Alyse serves the Minnesota Section of the Society of Women Engineers as Vice President. « back  Ensign Hoang N. Tran
Nominated by: U.S. Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program
Assignment: Chemistry and Radiological Controls Assistant, USS Montpelier, U.S. Navy
BS Chemical Engineering and Mathematics, Florida State University Ensign Hoang N. Tran was born in Saigon, Vietnam. In 1986 he came to the United States after spending some time in a refugee camp. He made the most of his opportunities by excelling in math and science -- leading to Bachelor's of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering and Mathematics only 11 years after arriving in the U.S. Ensign Tran has continued his pursuit of excellence as an officer on the fast attack submarine, USS Montpelier. Within a few months of reporting onboard, he rapidly qualified as Engineering Officer of the Watch and Engineering Duty Officer, efficiently coordinating and directing the team running the submarine’s nuclear propulsion plant. As the ship's Chemistry and Radiological Controls Assistant, he is responsible for keeping the proper water chemistry in both the primary coolant and steam systems in the propulsion plant. He also ensures that personnel protection requirements for radioactivity are strictly followed. He was an integral part of a tactical team as a Junior Officer of the Watch, tasked with safely and effectively driving the submarine into optimum position for missions vital to our national security, while simultaneously tracking multiple surface, air and submerged contacts. Ensign Tran is a model officer and outstanding engineer. « back  Dr. Michael Washington, Ph.D.
Nominated by: Institute of Industrial Engineers
Employer: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
PhD Industrial Engineering (Health Systems), University of South Florida
MS Industrial Engineering, University of South Florida
BS Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Florida Industrial engineers don't just work at improving manufacturing systems, they are also critical to health issues worldwide. Dr. Michael Washington is improving public health systems as an industrial engineer in the National Immunization Program. Immunization is at the forefront of national security. Dr. Washington is creating a computer simulation to model a smallpox/influenza pandemic vaccination clinic to assure the maximum number of people are vaccinated with available staff. He is also constructing a computer simulation of a large-scale drug dispensing center in case of a terrorist or natural disaster. Dr. Washington's work includes public health projects outside emergency response activities. In one project, he calculates the cost of children receiving more than the recommended doses of vaccines. In another, he estimates the cost of vaccine waste due to spoilage, shortage, or lost products.
He assisted in developing a complex survey and analyzed the data to assess factors that influence a parent’s decision to have their child vaccinated against hepatitis A. He applied project management to document the creation of the National Immunization Survey, the main database to assess the immunization coverage of states and the nation. Dr. Washington traveled to Ghana, West Africa, in September 2002 to work with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization for three months to consult, train, and provide data management and analysis assistance on surveillance databases concerning five vaccine-preventable diseases: polio, yellow fever, measles, neonatal tetanus, and meningitis. « back  Deborah E. Zwitter
Nominated by: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers - USA
Employer: IBM Corporation, Essex Junction, Vermont
MSEE, Michigan Technological University
BSEE, Michigan Technological University Debbie is currently working as a full-time engineer at IBM while pursuing a Ph.D. at Michigan Technological University in Electrical Engineering. At IBM, Debbie is working on the computer chips that will enable the next generation of high-speed internet connections and has created a software simulation to ensure chips function correctly before they are converted into products. Debbie has volunteered with IBM's Take Our Children to Work Day, as well as the IBM EXITE camps, which introduce middle school girls to hands-on applications of engineering and science. In the community, she has been active in the Odyssey of the Mind program during the 2001/2002 season. As a coach for an elementary school team, she helped students develop critical thinking and creativity skills as she guided the team to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals Competition in May 2002. « back |