Employee Spotlight: Shelby Bartram

Shelby Bartram is an intern with the Protection Factor Test Team in the Engineering Test Division. She is currently participating in the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) program, which supports her education in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discipline and matches her with a job opportunity after graduation. Bartram has been involved with STEM programs at ECBC since high school.

How did you first get involved at ECBC?

I was reluctant at first, but my parents encouraged me to sign up for the Science and Engineering Apprentice Program (SEAP) when the STEM outreach board visited Perryville Middle School in Cecil County, where I went to school. I didn’t want to be a scientist—I wanted to be a teacher—but my parents told me I should try it and could stop after a year, so I signed up. It’s one of the times when you look back and thank them.

And you have stayed involved working at ECBC through college?

Yes, I moved from SEAP to other summer internships like the Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science (GEMS) summer program at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and I have now been in the SMART program for two years. During my first year in the SEAP program, I was doing research online because I thought engineers were just people who worked on trains. I wrote a paper about chemical engineering and then found all of the fields within biomedical engineering, and something clicked and I thought, “This is something I really want to do.”

What are you studying in school?

I am in a five-year program to get my Bachelor’s in Science in biomedical engineering with a minor in chemistry and a Master’s degree in engineering management. I’m going into my senior year at Western New England University in Massachusetts.

What has been the most rewarding experience about participating in these STEM programs?

I have been asked many times to be a keynote speaker for other students or classes to tell them about my experience and the opportunities available, and that’s been the best part for me. I love being able to share these options with kids and tell them not to hold anything back and not give up on their dreams, because there are programs through the government that provide incredible opportunities.

How do you see yourself staying connected to ECBC?

I plan to explore the career options at ECBC by talking to mentors and learning about the capabilities on post and how they align with what I want to do. I also plan to stay involved with STEM outreach activities so I can pass my experiences onto current students and educate kids about the possibilities for careers like mine in this field.