Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 2-21-17

Military
U. S. Navy Hosts Black History Program
U. S. Navy Engineer Wins ‘STEM Black Engineer Of The Year’ Award
Recently, the U. S. Navy held their “2017 Black En- gineer Of The Year” (BEYA) Awards” gala. The award winners are engineers honored for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) achievements. The Awards gala, which is an annual event, is referred to as “the Oscars of the STEM in- dustry.”
During the ceremony, which is considered akin to the Academy Awards to be presented in Hollywood later this month, the BEYA Award recipients were applauded for a myriad of professional cate- gories, including career achievement, community service, outstanding technical contribution, professional achievement, technical sales and marketing, research lead- ership, affirmative action, ed- ucational leadership, entrepreneur leadership, most promising engineer, senior investigator, and sen- ior technology fellow in addi- tion to the most promising engineer and most promising scientist.
In all, 41 awardees, in- cluding Naval Surface War- fare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Civilian Engineer Dwayne Nelson walked the red carpet.
Nelson, known for his extraordinary success in mentoring middle to high school students, received the 2017 BEYA Award for Community Service.
Naval Surface Warfare Center Commander Rear Admiral Tom Druggan said, “His career already em- bodies outstanding civil serv- ice and the Navy keeps him busy.
“He's advancing the sci- ence, technology, engineering and mathematics careers and improving the lives of those around him,” Rear Admiral Druggan said, who pre- sented the award to Nelson.
Nelson said, “This award has inspired and challenged me to contribute more to- wards empowering our youth and others to serve our com- munity while encouraging in- terest in highly-rewarding
DWAYNE NELSON
Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division engi- neer, is shown holding his ‘2017 Black Engineer of the Year’ (BEYA) Award For Com- munity Service.’
science, technology, engi- neering and mathematics fields.
“Giving back and empow- ering people to reach their full potential is vital to stimu- lating enthusiasm about STEM. Every step, no matter how large or small, helps strengthen the arduous ef- forts in sustaining monumen- tal, long-term, positive change within our communi- ties.”
Nelson further said, “I would like to thank Rear Adm. Tom Druggan, the Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Naval Sur- face Warfare Center Dahlgren Division for supporting me throughout my career.”
As part of NSBE's Pre-Col- lege Initiative program at a local middle school, Nelson is the Deputy Information Of- ficer for two NSWCDD tech- nical departments.
He inspires students to at- tend college in pursuit of STEM degrees by helping them discover how engineer- ing and technology relates to the world around them.
Nelson led the NSBE Po- tomac River Professional Chapter’s engagement in more than 70 programs pro- moting technical excellence among young professionals in addition to the chapter’s im- pact in the community through educational pro- grams for middle and high school students.
SASEBO, Japan - Capt. Jeffrey Ward, (center) commanding officer of amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), and representatives of the ship’s Her- itage Committee participate in a cake cutting following an African American, Black History Month celebration on the ship’s mess decks. The Bonhomme Richard is de- ployed to Sasebo, Japan, and is serving forward to provide a rapid-response capa- bility in the event of a regional contingency or natural disaster. (U. S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jeanette Mullinax/Released).
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