AFRL researchers garner Black Engineer of Year awards

  • Published
  • By Laura Mays
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Five Air Force Research Laboratory employees were honored during the Black Engineer of the Year Conference, Feb. 19-21 in Baltimore, Md. The conference awards exceptional African American individuals who have paved their way into the field.

Two AFRL researchers received major Black Engineer of the Year accolades.

Lloyd Reshard, AFRL Flight Vehicles Integration Branch chief, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was honored with the Career Achievement award at the conference focusing on his accomplishments as an innovator. He is the first president of the Ammunition Diversity Board and initiated munitions first Revolutionary Technology Program leading to the world's first and largest magnetically aligned nano technology. 

Col. Kirk Kloeppel, AFRL Munitions Directorate director at Eglin said Mr. Reshard "is an innovator in technology and management of technology." Colonel Kloeppel also said that he has had an enormous impact in the employment of women and minorities in the Directorate.

Shawnee Pacley, AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate materials engineer, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, was awarded the most promising engineer in her endeavors. According to Tim Schumacher, AFRL Survivability and Sensors Materials Division chief, Ms. Pacley's leadership will transform the performance of the next-generation infrared detectors and emissions systems. 

Pacley's research projects include work on revolutionary materials such as carbon nanopearls, which will enable reliable, compact, lightweight and effective high powered microwave systems; carbon nanotubes for improved properties for emission and electronic devices, plus quantum-confined semiconductor materials for infrared sensing and satellite systems. 

Ms. Pacley, a Ph.D. candidate in materials engineering, also led the growth and characterization of carbon nanotubes. Her technique was unique because it enables effective properties for field emission and electronic devices, and served as the catalyst for her master's thesis, Mr. Schumacher added.

Three AFRL individuals were identified as Modern Day Technology Award winners.

According to Brent Holms, AFRL Platform Connectivity Branch chief, Capt. Rico Cody was recognized as a modern day technology leader for his success in "leading the development, testing, and evaluation of emerging airborne tactical data links to network airplanes with legacy communication systems and emerging air, ground and space assets." 

Captain Cody, stationed in Rome, N.Y., has gone from a student in Basic Communications Officer School to the chief of Tactical Data Links in seven years. The captain serves as the chair of the Airborne Networking Information Assurance special interest group and is currently working on his doctorate in Communications Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University.

Capt. Jermaine Sailsman was recognized as a modern day technology leader based on his "exemplary technical and leadership contributions to the Department of Defense and the scientific community" according to Col. Bradley Smith, Material Wing director. 

Captain Sailsman is currently the executive officer to the director in Space Vehicles at Kirtland AFB, N.M., where he was hand selected out of 74 candidates. He continues to excel in his career and Colonel Smith says "he has made a tremendous impact of the Air Force Research Laboratory and continues to set exceptionally high standards for all my junior engineers." 

Carla Willis, electronic engineer at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was recognized as a modern day technology leader based upon her lead of the "research and development effort of Urban Scene Generation to support target and tracking algorithms analysis for the next generation of weapon systems" said Victor Prawdzik, Munitions Directorate chief of Integrated Guidance Simulation Branch. Ms. Willis has been a supporter and leader in the Munitions Directorate Educational Outreach program and has been awarded for her incomparable student mentoring activities.

"The Air Force Research Laboratory is honored to have these five individuals call it home and to continue to set high standards in their field becoming leaders and mentors of the next generation" said Joe Sciabica, executive director of the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Each of the award winners were highly deserving and the conference presenters were proud to present them with Black Engineer of the Year Awards, organizers said.