Over 150 Employees To Be Honored for Contributions to Engineering

As part of its celebration of National Engineers Week, which runs from February 20 through February 26, the San Fernando Valley Engineers' Council will honor 151 employees of Northrop Grumman Corporation for their contributions to engineering innovation. Former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe will be the keynote speaker at the activity where the awards will be presented

The council will present three employees with individual career achievement awards.  It will also recognize 10 teams (148 employees) for innovations on company projects conducted over the past year at facilities in El Segundo, Palmdale (CA). and San Diego.  The awards will be presented February 26 at a banquet in Studio City (CA).

"Like many Northrop Grumman trailblazers before them, these employees represent the innovation and engineering talent that have been the company's hallmark for 66 years," said Gary W. Ervin, sector vice president for Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems.  "Their efforts have helped keep our nation at the forefront of technological advancement."

Roy Martin, a chief test pilot in the sector, will receive the Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Award for accomplishments in the field of aeronautical engineering and flight test.

"It has been personally gratifying to work with such a talented and dedicated group of employees at Northrop Grumman," said Martin, who has logged some 9,500 hours in more than 60 aircraft during his 35 years of flying.  "It's certainly an honor to be recognized for doing what you love to do."

For his two decades of leadership and contributions to engineering education, Mark Mithers, a systems engineer and technical manager, will receive the Distinguished Engineering Educator Award. Mithers, a recognized expert in systems theory, risk management, systems engineering and systems analysis, also teaches various undergraduate and graduate courses as adjunct professor at the University of La Verne.

The Outstanding Engineering Achievement Merit Award will go to William Flanagan, a senior engineering specialist. He is being recognized for his leadership in the development of the Link-16 data link-a new communications capability for the B-2 stealth bomber.  His work included designing a user-friendly interface for the bomber crew and ensuring the successful flight test of the new network-centric combat capabilities of the B-2 last year.

The team projects included improvements to the B-2 that included communications upgrades and an advanced coating process that will simplify and reduce the cost of maintaining the aircraft; a cooling system for the F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighter; and improved capabilities for the Global Hawk unmanned aerial reconnaissance system such as an automatic contingency generator, an improved wing and a new electric brake system.

The San Fernando Valley Engineers' Council was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of the California Society of Professional Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and other technical professional societies. Its activities support college scholarships, high school mentoring, and middle school math and science enrichment programs.

FMI: www.engineerscouncil.org