MARTINEZ EMPLOYS KNOWLEDGE TO FURTHER STEM INTIATIVES
Debbie Martinez has enjoyed countless professional achievements since earning her master's degree in modeling and simulation from Old Dominion University, when she graduated summa cum laude. This preliminary success seemed to be foreshadowing the great feats to come in her life.
Debbie went forward from BCET to accept a position at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) in southeastern Virginia. As a Deputy Project Manager at LaRC, Debbie has put her academic background to practical use. Her magnificent work has earned her a HENAAC Award in the category of Professional Achievement- Government in 2010. She has served as lead engineer with visual motion simulation and blended-wing body simulation. Most recently, she led a team in the development stages of two new modules for the Orion spacecraft program.
What truly inspires Debbie is her work with students. As the mother of three, Debbie understands the benefits of mentoring youth. Among her worthy mentoring pursuits, Debbie has co-founded the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Southeast Virginia Chapter. There exists a student chapter of SHPE at BCET. She has also lent her support and expertise to the Hispanic Hero at the Hispanic Youth Symposium and to a leadership development program for a group of under-performing teen girls at the YWCA. To further aid students interested in engineering, she has created four web sites which provide young women and Latinos with a virtual mentor to nurture their technology aspirations.
Her commitment to engaging youth in the field of engineering has now earned her further notoriety as Debbie was been named Great Minds in STEM Role Model of the Week by the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC). Great Minds in STEM is the gateway for Hispanics in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Established in 1989, as HENAAC, Great Minds in STEM is a non-profit organization that focuses on STEM educational awareness programs for students from kindergarten to career. Great Minds in STEM provides resources for recognition and recruitment of Hispanics in STEM on a national level, connecting multi-areas of engineering and science arenas to the general population.
For more information on her award, please visit http://www.greatmindsinstem.org/rmw/current.php.