Women at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are leading the way in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). From working with artificial intelligence to restoring wetlands to serving as ERDC’s commander, the women on our team are innovating and succeeding at every level.
ERDC is proud of the outstanding women on our team who are discovering, developing and delivering solutions to make the world safer and better. Meet some of the women at ERDC who are leading the way.
What do you do at ERDC?
I’m in the Environmental Laboratory’s Wetlands and Coastal Ecology Branch, and my research focuses on using wetland restoration, creation and management to solve environmental challenges, especially from a nutrient angle. My master’s is in wetlands biogeochemistry, which is the intersection of biology, chemistry and geology.
What do you love about your job?
I love the variety and breadth of the research that my team does at ERDC – I'm constantly learning something new, especially as it relates to the regional differences in wetland concerns. We get to be outside in the field a lot, and I enjoy connecting with communities on the ground. There’s never a dull moment.
What does being a woman in STEM mean to you?
We women can bring another point of view to the table to address challenges and issues. For so long, women didn’t have access to careers like this. Being a woman in this field today means a lot – it means we’re doing things women previously could not do. In the Environmental Laboratory, there’s great representation – 47% of our STEM workforce is women. We’re bringing that much-needed change.
What do you do at ERDC?
As a computer scientist at the ERDC Information Technology Laboratory, I get to participate in a plethora of projects. My passion lies in my current work, which is large-scale data management and analytics. I’m responsible for acquiring, integrating and curating heterogenous datasets on the ERDC high-performance computing (HPC) resources in support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithm development for the Department of Defense.
What do you love about your job?
There are lots of things that I love about my job, but the two major ones are 1) I get to work with and learn from researchers and customers from multiple domains and 2) I’m not limited with what I work on – I have the flexibility to work on different efforts and continually learn new skills. Who could ask for more?
What does being a woman in STEM mean to you?
Being a woman in STEM to me is being brave enough not only to go against the status quo, but to break and redefine it!
What do you do at ERDC?
I am the Program Manager for the Expedient Passive Protection Program. My research efforts include providing rapid assessment, selection and retrofit capabilities to the Warfighter through experimental efforts and high-fidelity computational modeling.
What do you love about your job?
I love getting to solve really tough problems where the results of my research directly lead to saving lives. I love that I get to work with the worlds’ leaders in blast and ballistic mitigation and characterization. I love how diverse my job is – one day, I may be out in the field testing a blast retrofit with explosives, and the other day, I may be conducting computational models to better understand or predict results in the field.
What does being a woman in STEM mean to you?
My experience in STEM has been extremely rewarding for so many different reasons. I’ve realized I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. This experience has allowed me to overcome some of the stereotypes of what women can do. I hope that I can be a role model for younger women and girls, as other amazing women at ERDC have been for me.
What do you do at ERDC?
I work in navigation, evaluating navigation channel designs and vessel maneuverability using ship/tow simulation technology. I also work on physical model studies, and I’m currently leading a project to evaluate the hydraulic performance of a pumping plant.
What do you love about your job?
The research at ERDC is always exciting. Each project I work on is a challenge, and it is rewarding to be able to find the right solution to meet or exceed an objective.
What does being a woman in STEM mean to you?
Joining ERDC helped me understand what it meant to be a woman in STEM. It was not until I came here that I had met or worked alongside other women who truly inspired me. Their representation in high-level positions, their leadership and their technical achievements have helped show me what I am capable of. Over time, their example has helped me let go of insecurities about sometimes being the only woman in the room. I’ve learned to not be afraid to be persistent, to speak up, and to ask questions. Being a woman in STEM is an opportunity to inspire and mentor young girls and women and helping them realize their full potential.
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At ERDC, we’re always looking for women in STEM to join our team. Explore our job opportunities.