Since 2010, Great Minds in STEM has partnered with the Department of Defense to honor men and women who protect and serve the U.S. through science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). According to a press release from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), nine defense department employees received the 2021 HENAAC STEM Hero Award, including the first-ever recorded NSWCDD employees.
The Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC) award recognizes the contributions of Hispanic professionals who serve as role models for the next generation of American engineers and scientists.
Luis Valcourt-Colon is a scientist and software engineer in NSWCDD’s Battle Management System program. Lauren Perez is also a scientist and deputy project lead for the high-energy laser counter anti-cruise ship missile project in the integrated engagement systems department.
Valcourt-Colon joined the Battle Management System program team six years ago, following graduation from the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamon. He received the HENAAC STEM Hero Award for his role in the SeaPerch program, a STEM program that allows middle and high school students to gain knowledge about underwater vehicles.
Valcourt-Colon leads the NSWCDD efforts for the project, sponsoring teams in the Virginia area, and a team in Puerto Rico. According to Valcourt-Colon, there are about 15-20 volunteers a year from all different departments at NSWCDD.
Perez grew up in Miami as a first-generation Cuban. She attended Florida International University. Within a year of her employment at NSWCDD, Perez’s division head at the time asked her if she was interested in joining the department’s diversity and inclusion committee.
Perez received the award for her work with the diversity and inclusion committee and as NSWCDD’s test and evaluation lead for the Office of Naval Research’s High-power Joint Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Strike project, as well as recruiting efforts for Naval Sea Systems Command, NSWCDD, and the Integrated Systems Engagement Department.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been tasked with…
Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm,…
Humboldt State University, one of four campuses within the California…
