Each honoree received a Certificate of Recognition during the Modern-Day Technology Leaders Luncheon, Feb. 10 in Washington, D.C. The luncheon was held as part of the 31st annual BEYA STEM Global Competitiveness Conference, which brought professionals and students from a wide variety of STEM-related fields together for education and career opportunities. The gathering also provided networking opportunities between students, educators and STEM professionals.

The ECBC recipients include:

• Laura Graham is a project manager in ECBC’s Chemical Biological Application and Risk Reduction (CBARR) business unit. Graham, a chemical engineer, has worked at CBARR for 11 years and recently relocated to Edgewood from CBARR’s offices at Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas.
• Chika Nzelibe, a mechanical engineer in the Advanced Design and Manufacturing business unit of ECBC’s Engineering Directorate, has worked at ECBC for 18 years.
• Monicia Hall, test strategist and decontamination lead in the Strategic Test Cell in the Engineering Directorate is a chemist who has worked at ECBC more than 15 years.
• Troy Thompson is a chemist in the Decontamination Engineering Branch of the Engineering Directorate and has worked at ECBC for a decade.

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“I am overwhelmed to think that someone is appreciative of the work I’ve done here,” Nzelibe said. Lester Stauch is plenty appreciative, and that is why he nominated Nzelibe for the award. “Chika is an incredible person who has a diverse background personally and professionally,” said Nzelibe’s supervisor. “It’s not often that you meet people who love their jobs like he does. He always goes above and beyond what’s asked of him.”

According to information provided by the conference, modern-day technology leaders are women and men who are demonstrating outstanding performance in engineering, science and technology. These honorees also serve as inspiring role models for others in STEM fields and highlight the breadth of career opportunities that are available.

In attendance at the conference was ECBC Research and Technology Director Eric Moore, Ph.D., as well as recruiters from ECBC who networked with professionals seeking employment as well as college students studying in engineering and the sciences. “The BEYA STEM Conference afforded us a wonderful opportunity for ECBC to showcase the wealth of experiences that are available within the federal government, and specifically with an Army research institution such as ECBC,” Moore said.

Members of Advanced Design and Manufacturing’s Interactive Software and Visual Media Branch at ECBC displayed their augmented reality prototype in the conference expo. The augmented reality developers are utilizing Microsoft HoloLens, a commercial product that ECBC is adapting for military use. Attendees experienced a hands-on demo of an interactive installation manual using the head-mounted display. “Everyone loved it,” said Animation Team Lead Jason Gitlin. “The technology is so new that the general public really hasn’t used it, so our demo was exciting to a lot of people.”

The first-generation prototype drew an impressive crowd, from students to VIPs, including Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, commanding general of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, who tried the demo out for himself with Gitlin’s assistance; and Gen. Gustave Perna, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, who observed other participants interacting with the product.