 |
|
 |
 |
|
Engineers Nominated By The
US Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program
Lieutenant Pamela Bou, a mechanical engineer, is Reactor Electrical Division Officer aboard the submarine USS HARRY S. TRUMAN. Bou received her Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the US Naval Academy in 3 ½ years followed by a Master’s in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in merely eleven months. However, Bou excels in a position associated with electrical engineering, a discipline outside her initial instruction. An extraordinarily diversified engineer and exceptional leader, she has developed a reputation for being the technical expert and applies her skills routinely to planning major maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair evolutions. Bou leads a division of 50 personnel in a department of over 450 and is directly responsible for the electrical generation and distribution for an entire warship with over 5,500 people. Bou is Propulsion Plant Watch Officer supervising 20 personnel in the shift operations of a nuclear power plant. Bou routinely mentors and develops her subordinates professionally. Bou is a member of the Society of Women Engineers.
Sanety Boussa is a materials engineer at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL) near Schenectady, New York. KAPL is a research facility dedicated to supporting all aspects of the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Boussa started his career modeling steam generator chemistry characteristics and working on steam generator designs for future submarines and aircraft carriers. He was the lead engineer for a series of complex electrochemistry tests that were performed to better understand corrosion mechanisms that act on certain materials in a first-of-a-kind test in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Boussa’s most significant accomplishment is his direction of the design, development, and manufacture of a stress measurement device for a type of weld. The applications for this invention are numerous and the potential for reduced component maintenance could result in significant cost savings. An invention disclosure for this device was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office in 2003. Boussa is a member of KAPL’s diversity council, and participates in outreach efforts to high school students who are interested in careers in engineering and are from groups that are historically underrepresented in engineering and science fields.
Kelly Knuth, a mechanical engineer at Bechtel Bettis in West Mifflin, PA, supports the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Knuth has been helping design the thermal/hydraulic characteristics of the nuclear reactor that is to be installed in the next generation of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Knuth has contributed design decisions regarding coolant flow paths within the reactor. Her engineering analyses have supported accelerating the timing of when the fuel can be loaded into the reactor vessel, increasing the overall efficiency of the reactor construction process and potentially saving the Program millions of dollars. Knuth has recently developed an innovative technique to safely maximize power production over various operating conditions throughout the ship’s lifetime. Knuth is an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Women in Nuclear Society.
LTJG Mathias Vorachek, a mechanical engineer stationed aboard the strategic deterrent submarine USS HENRY M. JACKSON, applies his knowledge of both mechanical and electrical systems theory to the practical operation of a complex nuclear-powered submarine. As the Casualty Drill Coordinator, Vorachek is directly responsible to the Ship’s Engineer and Commanding Officer for ensuring the over 150 man crew is trained to the highest standards and prepared for any contingency. As Ship’s Diving Officer, he is responsible for controlling and maintaining proper ship’s depth during submerged operations. This involves calculations that take into account a number of dynamic factors, such as weight shifts that occur as the ship moves. In addition to these duties, as Assistant Engineering Officer, Vorachek expertly supervises a watch team of 30 personnel in the safe operation of the ship’s nuclear propulsion plant. Vorachek is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. |
LT Pamela Bou
Sanety Boussa
Kelly Knuth
LTJG Mathias Vorachek
 |
National Engineers Week Foundation
|