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NATICK, Mass. – The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, or DEVCOM SC, participated recently in a prestigious event celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans. The event, which commemorated Black History Month, took place at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts.

Participation in the event reflected DEVCOM SC’s commitment to celebrating diversity and to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) outreach.

“At the DEVCOM Soldier Center, our diverse workforce is key to our success,” said Douglas Tamilio, director of DEVCOM SC. “Black History Month is a time to recognize and reflect upon the contributions of African Americans to our organization, the Army, DoD, and America as a whole. Our recent participation in a Black History Month event at the Museum of Science provided an excellent opportunity to emphasize both our commitment to STEM outreach and to fostering diversity in our workforce.”

During the event, DEVCOM SC scientists and engineers showcased some of the center’s contributions to Soldier protection and Soldier sustainment. The Soldier Center’s displays included combat rations, uniforms, body armor, helmets, and 3D-printed helmet paddings. A DEVCOM SC overview video was also shown. DEVCOM SC participants included Michael Ghebrebrhan, Ph.D., Michelle Richardson, Michael Codega, Brady Loomer, and Yoojeong Kim, Ph.D.

“The event at the Boston Museum of Science was an opportunity to show the young visitors that today’s scientists and engineers work on many different, interesting and important problems, and reflect the diversity of their communities,” said Ghebrebrhan, a research physicist in the Soldier Protection Directorate at DEVCOM SC.

Ghebrebrhan added that the event also provided the opportunity “to share the stories of the Black scientists and engineers working for the advancement and safety of the nation since its founding.”

Richardson, a research food technologist at DEVCOM SC, emphasized the importance of participating in the event.

“Though the number of minorities working in STEM fields has been increasing, the amount is still very limited,” said Richardson. “Participating in local community events, especially during Black History Month, engages and promotes scientific innovations, and is an excellent way to boost the interest of minorities in STEM careers. It also increases awareness of what DEVCOM SC does for the warfighter and strengthens partnerships with the local community.”

During the event, members of DEVCOM SC’s Innovation and Outreach Team provided information on DEVCOM SC STEM programs and opportunities, including the Department of Defense’s Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation, or SMART, Scholarship, and the Discover Engineering, Science and Technology (DESTINY) 2024 event that encourages female high school students to pursue STEM careers. The team also led activities for children, including making paper helicopters.

“We were excited to participate in another Museum of Science (MoS) event, as MoS attracts a large number of visitors, especially families with school-aged children,” said Kim, who serves as the lead for DEVCOM SC’s Innovation and Outreach Team. “These types of events allow us to present technologies developed at the Soldier Center to a large audience. This year we incorporated hands-on activities for children, which provided greater interactions and connections with kids and families, thereby amplifying the visibility and impact of DEVCOM SC’s endeavors.”

DEVCOM SC’s participation in the Museum of Science event reflected the organization’s overall commitment to fostering diversity, promoting STEM outreach, and mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

“Events like these are so valuable as they spotlight the important and critical contributions of so many people of different backgrounds, race, ethnicities and cultures to science and technology,” said Loomer, DEVCOM SC’s STEM lead coordinator.

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About DEVCOM Soldier Center: The DEVCOM Soldier Center is committed to discovering, developing, and advancing science and technology solutions that ensure America’s warfighters are optimized, protected, and lethal. DEVCOM Soldier Center supports all of the Army’s Modernization efforts, with the Soldier Lethality and Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Teams being the DEVCOM Soldier Center’s chief areas of focus. The center’s science and engineering expertise are combined with collaborations with industry, DOD, and academia to advance Soldier and squad performance. The center supports the Army as it transforms from being adaptive to driving innovation to support a Multi-Domain Operations Capable Force of 2028 and a MDO Ready Force of 2035. DEVCOM Soldier Center is constantly working to strengthen Soldiers’ performance to increase readiness and support for warfighters who are organized, trained, and equipped for prompt and sustainable ground combat.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) outreach and mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers are also an important part of the mission of DEVCOM Soldier Center. The mentoring of students by Army scientists and engineers benefits the students and their communities. It also increases young people’s awareness of potential Army job opportunities and helps provide the Army with potential new talent, helping to fuel innovative ideas that benefit the nation’s warfighters and the nation as a whole.

DEVCOM Soldier Center is part of DEVCOM. Through collaboration across the command’s core technical competencies, DEVCOM leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nation’s wars and come home safely. DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.

By Jane Benson, DEVCOM Soldier Center Public Affairs