The 2019 Technical Innovation Award at the Women of Color STEM Conference Gala went to Cristina Ramos, a senior principal mechanical engineer at Raytheon Missile Systems.
As chief engineer for the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) program, she was responsible for all technical aspects of producing the most sophisticated air-to-air missile in the world.
She earned her Chief Engineer Level 3 certification in 2018 and has also been the recipient of engineering honors and awards over the last decade.
Cristina is responsible for supporting the delivery of the AMRAAM against a $1 billion production contract with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and foreign customers.
Throughout her professional life, she has been a champion for diversity in tech. Cristina is an active member of both the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
An industry systems engineer in Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector, Dr. Kaiann Fu received a Technical Innovation award at the 2015 Women of Color STEM Conference.
Since joining Northrop Grumman in 2009, she has supported research and development projects as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance programs designing, developing algorithms for communication systems. Fu has authored three technical publications on digital communications. She is also a member of a Northrop Grumman diversity and inclusion board.
She earned her bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
The Outstanding Technical Contribution Award is presented to a person performing technical functions, who has designed, developed, managed, or assisted in the development of a product, service, system, or intellectual property that is a substantial achievement in the field.
Vanessa V. Michelin is an IBM Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor with IBM Watson for Genomics.
“Twenty years ago, I developed applications using speech recognition when it was first coming out of research to be used in the industry. And in the past few years, I’ve developed the first Artificial Intelligence solution to do genomics interpretation in healthcare and life sciences,” Michelini said while accepting her award at the 2020 Women of Color STEM Conference virtual awards gala.
“This is giving hope and saving lives through Precision Oncology, a revolutionary approach targeting patients’ specific genetic mutations to create personalized treatment plans,” she continued. “In the early 1960s, my mother was one of the first women in Brazil to work as a computer programmer. Growing up, I inherited her passion for being a pioneer in applying new technologies to solve challenges. This honor celebrates my accomplishments and my mother’s inspiration.”
Candice Hatcher-Solis of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) 711th Human Performance Wing was nominated by the AFRL in recognition of her mentoring, leadership, and spirit of innovation.
“I would like to thank my lab team, supervisor, and directorate leadership for their support,” said Hatcher-Solis. “I am honored to receive the Women of Color Technical Innovation Award and plan to use that platform to continue outreach efforts and promote under-represented groups in STEM. I believe that diversity in STEM benefits all and engenders innovation and creativity to address questions and solve problems.”
Hatcher-Solis joined AFRL in 2017 and quickly rose to become lead of the Neurobiology of Cognitive Performance team. This work entails the use of experimental methods to quantify changes in the brain that result from noninvasive brain or nerve stimulation. Her research into the correlation between factors such as stress, fatigue, fear, and pain and cognitive function has brought a new level of understanding to the topic that stands to have far-reaching implications for the warfighter.
During her tenure in AFRL, Hatcher-Solis has mentored 11 young scientists and engineers. She is an active leader in Air Force Women in Science and Engineering, an organization that promotes team building, mentoring, and networking among female Air Force professionals.
She also actively supports the Leadership Experience Growing Apprenticeships Committed to Youth program, an outreach that focuses on under-represented or under-served students interested in STEM career fields.
During the 2020 Women of Color STEM Conference virtual gala, Robert Adkisson, vice president and division chief engineer in the Boeing Defense, Space & Security unit, presented the Technical Innovation in Industry Award to Evelyn Moore.
Adkisson called Moore a remarkable colleague. Someone who has made her mark in the engineering integrity of fighter aircraft, bombers and surveillance, reconnaissance and mobility platforms.
"There is so much riding on what Evelyn does at Boeing to support the women and men in uniform," Adkisson said. "The systems she and her teams have developed on the F-15 and F/A-18 fighter aircraft are modern marvels – continuously improved to keep outpacing ever-evolving threats," he said. "In addition to her technical prowess, Evelyn is a brilliant leader. She invests in people, brings them together in productive ways and, when things get tough, she calmly and confidently leans in."
Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, young Evelyn was inspired to become an engineer after a high school visit to Washington University in St. Louis.
In 2003, she graduated from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis with a bachelor's in applied science and electrical engineering. She went on to do a master's in engineering management at the Washington University in St. Louis, and an executive master's in international business at the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University.
