NSBE - Winter 2013 - (Page 14)

NSBE Member Patricia Edmonds Lead test Engineer for Navair By Peter Slavin P atricia Edmonds has already left her mark on Navy engineering. In seven years, Edmonds, a civilian employee, has risen from journeyman level at NAVAIR to a lead test engineer and a GS-13 level. She specializes in training systems, including flight and maintenance training. Edmonds, a member of NSBE’s Central Florida Alumni Chapter, grew up in Baltimore, Md. Her mother began sending her and her brother to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) camps during summers, and by the end of elementary school, Edmonds knew she wanted to be an engineer. In 9th grade, she found a way to distinguish between plastic and paper items at recycling centers. Her process employed a laser light that passed through the materials and read light intensity. She won “My NSBE experience has helped me gain the skills in leadership that have helped me to move up the ladder.” several science fairs with her invention, including the NAACP’s huge ACT-SO fair. She also received a U.S. patent for it, but her process was never put into practice. During her senior year at the University of Virginia, Edmonds had an externship with NAVAIR. The employee she was shadowing offered her a job, and upon graduation with a Bachelor of Science degree in systems and information engineering, she joined the Aircraft Division of NAVAIR’s Naval Air Warfare Center in Patuxent River, Md. While there, she began taking classes on the side for an M.S. in systems engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, graduating in four years. After transfer to the Training Systems Division in Orlando, Fla., Edmonds became the technical point of contact for small businesses competing for Navy contracts to devise new technologies. She also managed the transfer of these technologies to NAVAIR. One invention linked several overhead projectors together. It 14 • nsbe magazine • winter 2013 was geared toward use aboard vessels to create a seamless overhead image despite the roll of the ship and was eventually deployed in the fleet. Her program also developed a low-cost way to simulate gravitational forces (g-forces) on a pilot during aircraft maneuvers for training. A small firm designed an imitation flight suit containing air pouches through which air can be pumped in or sucked out to replicate gravitational forces. Edmonds also became lead engineer for a team that analyzed simulation-based tools for naval training systems. In 2009, team members received the NAVAIR Commander’s Award in science and technology for various accomplishments. One tool, developed with industry, was a training system that teaches F/A-18 fighter pilots to recognize the symptoms of being oxygen-deprived and spatially disoriented. The Navy termed it a potential milestone in naval aviation safety. The Navy uses replicas of parts of aircraft to train air crews on the ground. One such flight “trainer” simulates a cockpit and teaches pilots to fly. Others help teach crew members how to do their jobs, and still others are mockups of the airframe and wiring to help train maintenance personnel. These days, Edmonds is the Training Systems lead test engineer for the MH-60 Seahawk multi-mission helicopter. The Seahawk is able to deploy aboard any air-capable ship or aircraft carrier. Some of the Seahawk’s missions include anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and search and rescue. She leads the test and evaluation of all Seahawk aircrew and maintenance training systems now in development or undergoing upgrades. Edmonds has been mentoring students from elementary school through college for years, both on the job and in her spare time. Now, she is the one whom others shadow. She also has been in NSBE since high school and has held many leadership positions. Because NSBE was so helpful in getting her through college, Edmonds says, she wants to give back. At the same time, she adds, “My NSBE experience has helped me gain the skills in leadership that have helped me to move up the ladder.” ■ www.nsbe.org http://www.nsbe.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - Winter 2013

NSBE - Winter 2013
Contents
Graduation! Pump Up the Party
Clean Up Your Digital Brand
Reelected
ITW’s Dr. Alexander Anim- Mensah
Steven Henderson of Life Technologies
Patricia Edmonds of NAVAIR
Franklin E. Leaven Jr. of GE Transportation
General Mills: Winning through Diversity
Eye of the Tiger
39TH ANNUAL CONVENTION PREVIEW
Golden Torch Honorees
The Professional’s Perspective
Trailblazers
Professional Development Conference Recap
CE Cover CODE2040: Grooming Business Leaders in Silicon Valley
Uhuru: Freedom
‘To Increase the Number…’
NSBE Calendar
NCEES Employer Profile
Advertisers Index

NSBE - Winter 2013