Women's History Month Blog Series (Part 3)

In recognition of Women's History Month, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) presents a special blog series featuring candid responses from female ECBC employees and leaders on their experiences as females in the science and engineering fields. The fourth and final part in this blog series feature Robin Haupt, a quality assurance specialist in the ECBC Engineering Directorate, and Linnette Martinez,a member of the Joint Service Ground Mask Branch in the Protective Engineering Division.

Robin Haupt

Years ago, when I first started working for the Department of Defense (DoD) on the Aberdeen Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, women were not always particularly welcome in some of the automotive specialty areas. No one ever treated me poorly or was disrespectful; it was more of an assumption that women weren’t interested in automotives and therefore didn’t possess a full understanding.

I found that, as with any area of work, if you possess a willingness to learn and a constant inquisitiveness you can make the job easier and much more fun. I recall working on a very intense track test for the M1A1 Abrams tank. The hours were long and the work conditions were not always great. I decided that I was going to learn as much about that track as humanly possible. I did, and that knowledge made the months-long test a rewarding experience. Because I took the time and effort to learn every detail about the track maintenance, wear criteria, etc., I gained the respect of my tank crew, peers and supervisor. I wouldn’t say that anyone necessarily expected a woman to fail, but I was able to gain the confidence of the people around me. 

ECBC Disability Committee Representative Completes SEPM Course

Patricia Reeves, a U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) technical writer and editor, recently completed the Special Emphasis Program Manager (SEPM) course at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. The course will allow Reeves to serve more effectively as ECBC’s representative on the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) Disability Committee. 

This training focused on inter- and intrapersonal and organizational aspects of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), the causes and effects of discrimination, EEO programs for federal employees, civilian personnel management and the value of diversity. The training concentrated on the roles and responsibilities of SEPMs, communication skills, staff coordination, briefing skills, analyzing EEO data, and planning and managing effective Special Emphasis Programs.

“The course was very intense,” Reeves said. “One of our activities included briefing a make-believe general (an instructor) about what the SEPM would do for an organization.”

To help our customers and the APG workforce, Reeves volunteered to be a member of the APG Disability Committee to improve the work environment for people who are disabled and other challenged employees, educate people about disabilities and open opportunities for people with disabilities. 

In addition to serving on the Disability Committee, Reeves co-teaches free beginner American Sign Language classes in the fall and spring at APG, and she has provided interpreter services for government personnel. To advance her interest in this area, Reeves has applied for the Disability Program Management course in July 2011. Through her participation in these activities, Reeves hopes to help those with disabilities and increase awareness. “I’m a very strong advocate for people who are deaf or disabled,” she said. 

In the photo, Patricia Reeves, third from the rear on the far left, poses with her SEPM classmates at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute.

Women's History Month Blog Series (Part 4)

In recognition of Women's History Month, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) presents a special blog series featuring candid responses from female ECBC employees and leaders on their experiences as females in the science and engineering fields. The third part in this blog series features Carrie Poore, an ECBC biologist, June Sellers, Acting Risk Manager, Surety Officer and Security Manager for ECBC and Wenona Vistoso, ECBC Program Assistant for Advanced Technology Demonstration Branch. Check back later this for the finale of this series.

Carrie Poore

Did you always want to work in the science/engineering field? Why did you choose to work for the Department of the Army?

I always knew, from when I was little in elementary school that I wanted to be in the science field. As I have gotten older, my scientific interests have changed from one area to another. Astronomy, genetics, biochemistry, cancer biology and microbiology have all held my attention at one point or another. I have been lucky to have had the positive influence of so many scientists/researchers/teachers that imparted their passions onto others. When I watched the faces of my mentors light up as they talked about the scientific possibilities and the never ending list of unanswered questions about their research in the laboratory, I couldn't help but get excited about becoming a true investigator trying to answer even just some of the scientific mysteries surrounding their particular research. I have worked in several labs throughout my career and that excitement has never wavered from project to project, whether it was cancer biology or bacterial pathogenesis.

Women's History Month Blog Series (Part 3)

In recognition of Women's History Month, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) presents a special blog series featuring candid responses from female ECBC employees and leaders on their experiences as females in the science and engineering fields. The third part in this blog series features Amanda Dubbs, a biologist for the ECBC Department of Program Integration (DPI), Carol Eason, Acting Director of Safety and Acting Deputy Director for Chemical Biological Integration, and Jennifer Iskra, an engineer at ECBC working on her Masters in Business Administration. Check back throughout the month of March for the continuation of this series.

Amanda Dubbs

As a little girl growing up I was into all of the “girlie” things – painting my nails, making bracelets, having my hair braided, playing “mommy” with my Cabbage Patch dolls, and twirling baton.  As a member of the high school graduating class of the millennium in 2000, my elementary school videotaped us in kindergarten about our career aspirations. Several years later they played it back for us at our high school graduation. According to my five or six-year-old self, I wanted to be a babysitter. My how things have changed. 

ECBC Scientist Speaks About Next Generation Sequencing Technologies

Did you know that U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) experts frequently speak at international conferences? Scientist Lauren McNew of ECBC’s BioChemistry Branch spoke to an audience of 400 attendees at the 12th annual Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) Conference, held in Florida in February.

McNew spoke about next generation sequencing technologies for rapid response to bio threat events and included information about operational exercises being conducted in the ECBC Genomics Center to respond to potential biological threats.

Women's History Month Blog Series (Part 2)

In recognition of Women's History Month, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) presents a special blog series featuring candid responses from female ECBC employees and leaders on their experiences as females in the science and engineering fields. The second part in this blog series features Leanne Chacon, a Biologist for the ECBC Joint Project Manager Biological Defense (JPM-BD), Mary Hubbard, Deputy Product Manager for the Joint Service Aircrew Mask-Rotary Wing Program, and Genna Rowe, ECBC Engineering Directorate Special Projects Branch Chief.  Check back throughout the month of March for the continuation of this series.

Leanne Chacon

Ever since taking Genetics and Advanced Biology classes in high school, I knew that the science field was the right fit. Originally I wanted to become a genetic counselor, but after taking a Microbiology lab in college, my interest in bacteria grew.

Women's History Month Blog Series (Part 1)

In recognition of Women's History Month, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) presents a special blog series featuring candid responses from female ECBC employees and leaders on their experiences as females in the science and engineering fields. The first part in this blog series features Meg Hower, Lead Systems Engineer for the Joint Service Aircrew Mask Joint Strike Fighter Variant (JSAM-JSF), Akansha Raja, a Systems and Logistics Engineer for the Joint Service General Purpose Mask team, and Elaine Stewart-Craig, Division Chief of the Special Projects Division in the Engineering Directorate. Check back throughout the month of March for the continuation of this series.

Meg Hower

During my first week as the new systems engineer on a program, I found myself at Brooks Air Force Base (AFB) in San Antonio. I had been invited to a program management review (PMR) for the JSAM-Fixed Wing with what was at that time the 649^th AESS. The Wing Commander, a Colonel, as well as the Squadron Commander and a number of Air Force support personnel were in attendance. I remember sitting down to begin introductions and noticing that not only was I the only female in attendance, but I was also the only person not in fatigues and had to be the youngest by maybe 20 years. I felt like there was a giant red arrow hanging above me pointing out that “one of these things is not like the other!”

Educational, Occupational Equality Between Men and Women Continues in Science and Engineering Fields: ECBC Workforce Comments on Narrowing Gap

When Maria Sklodowska decided she wanted to continue her education at the collegiate level in 1886, she joined a “floating university,” avoiding detection by the czar’s police in Warsaw by attending night classes at changing locations. Her trek to “Madame Marie Curie,” the famed female physicist-chemist and first person honored with two Nobel Prizes, was a difficult journey, as it was for many of the female scientists and engineers of earlier centuries.

Currie’s work, along with the advancements made by other pioneering female scientists and engineers in the 18th and 19th centuries, began a trend that over 130 years later is beginning to come full circle. The trend toward equality of educational and occupational attainment between women and men continues.

“As a female engineer just entering the workforce I can confidently say that women are gaining momentum in the science and engineering (S&E) fields,” said Akanksha Raja, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) chemical engineer.

ECBC Adds New Capability of Viral Sequencing

The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center’s (ECBC) BioDefense Branch recently became one of the few organizations in the world able to genetically sequence threat viruses.

Using the Roche/454 Titanium platform, the team sequenced four viral genomes in February for the first time in ECBC’s history. Sequencing viral genomes is a significant step forward in ECBC’s virology research capabilities.