VICKSBURG, Miss.—Four U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) team members were named senior scientific technical managers (SSTMs) on 29 September 2019.
As SSTMs, Nicholas Boone, Alexandra Landsberg, Dr. Robert Moser, and Terrance Westerfield will—
- Provide advanced scientific and technical guidance.
- Perform and manage research and development in physical, biological, and engineering sciences related to the ERDC mission.
- Manage technical supervisory responsibilities involving technical planning and work oversight.
The first recipient was Nicholas Boone from the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory. He has been active for the past 5 years as the technical director for force projection and maneuver support for the military engineering business area. He is responsible for programs that include research and development activities in force projection, mobility, bridge assessment and repair, airfields and pavements, and river and beach crossings, among others. His duties include integrating these activities to solve issues for the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense (DOD). He regularly communicates with the Joint Services, Army Futures Command, acquisition program manager offices, and the Army Test and Evaluation Command to prepare systems for rapid fielding.
“I am honored to receive this recognition as a symbol of the great teams and challenging projects that I’ve been blessed to work on. We are making a difference every day and I look forward to future challenges,” explained Boone.
Boone received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Louisiana Tech University in 2003, graduating summa cum laude. He is currently completing his master’s degree in civil engineering through Mississippi State University and is a registered engineer intern in Louisiana.
The second ERDC researcher promoted was Alexandra Landsberg from the Information Technology Laboratory. She is the deputy program director for the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program. She facilitates more than $285 million of funding that is executed by approximately 800 engineers, scientists, and support personnel and serves as a subject-matter expert on numerous Department of Energy (DOE) Exascale Computing Project (ECP) technical reviews—a 7-year program totaling more than $3 million. The initiative has resulted in significant technical shifts in the DOE ECP software technology strategy.
“I’m deeply appreciative of the entire ERDC leadership team for challenging me, recognizing my contributions to the ERDC, and promoting me to an SSTM,” Landsberg said.
She is a nationally recognized leader in modeling and simulation and both algorithm and software development. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The third ERDC and second Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory researcher promoted was Dr. Robert Moser, a senior research engineer with the Engineering Systems and Materials Division. He regularly participates in DOD-, tri-Service-, and Army-level committees and strategy sessions and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure initiatives. Moser also leads many of ERDC’s extramural research programs in materials science, advanced mechanics, and remote sensing with academic and industry partners.
“I am truly honored and humbled to have been selected for this promotion to SSTM. I’ve had the opportunity to work on so many amazing and impactful programs and to work with so many amazingly talented, bright, and hardworking people along the way; it’s just incredibly rewarding and intellectually
stimulating. In this new role, I hope to continue and grow the impactful work the ERDC executes for the Army and the Nation,” stated Moser upon being selected.
Moser received his doctorate in civil engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology with a focus on materials
The Geospatial Research Laboratory’s Terrance Westerfield is the fourth ERDC researcher promoted. Westerfield is a statistician in the Information Generation Management Branch. He is responsible for the $48-million, multiyear Map Based Planning Services Program, a joint research program developing geospatially enabled and collaborative mission-planning capabilities as Web services to allow planners, staff, and leaders to collect, process, store, display, and share data. The program provides a truly digital, collaborative, geospatially enabled planning environment in near real time, giving planners and leaders increased decision space through a collective shared knowledge.
Westerfield received a bachelor’s degree in human factors psychology, a master’s in human factors and systems, and a master’s in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“These promotions reflect the outstanding and significant contributions of Nick, Sandy, Robert, and Terrance to the ERDC, the Corps of Engineers, the Army, and the Nation,” added Pittman.