Dr. Elizabeth D’Andrea
Program Manager, Electromagnetic Rail Gun
Office of Naval Research
I worked for the Army’s Training and Doctrine
Command analyzing the M1 tank and Apache helicopter programs. At the Air Force’s Tactical Air Command, I analyzed how fighter pilots’ skills atrophied
over time so we could design an economical program
of education, simulation and flight time to maintain
those skills.
Later, I worked for the Counter Narco-Terrorism
Technology Office assisting the Colombian and Afghan governments with technology to interdict narcotics trafficking.
I never looked for a job. Somebody will need my
expertise and help, and they’ll give me a call. And it
always seems to come right about the time I’m about
ready for a change.
LISA NIPP
Keeping a program alive for the rail gun, which
won’t be fielded until 2020, is a challenge. We have
developed a systematic approach for retiring science
and technology risk and coordinating the requirements
with our customers, the Marine Corps and Naval Sea
Systems Command. It keeps the whole program
focused on answering all the right questions along the
way, rather than waiting until the end.
In science and engineering, we get so excited about
doing stuff that it becomes a big challenge to properly
document everything. The rail gun program will be in
the science and technology realm until 2016, so some
in the work force won’t still be in the work force by the
time we transition it to acquisition.
One of the key objectives is to maintain a robust
information and knowledge base. As the program continues to grow, it’s not in peoples’ heads but maintained
in a place where all the knowledge is shared across this
diversified work force.
It’s more than just the technology. I’ve had a chance
to mentor some of the young professionals coming in,
to give them full, exciting careers. I love mentoring
and growing of the work force as well as growing a program. The Navy’s been a big advocate of “no boundaries,” that innovativeness and creativeness are valued, and they let you explore that. ■
When I grew up, there were jobs for girls and jobs
for guys. I always was more interested in the jobs
in the guy world. My father was a senior engineer for
Newport News Shipbuilding and, when I was no more
than 10, he — with his willingness to let me be who I
was — was more than happy to let me run with a hard
hat on under big plates of steel when they were putting
ships together. The first time I went on a destroyer, a
yard worker playfully tracked my movement on the
deck with a gun turret. I thought, “This is so cool.”
I went to Virginia Tech and found out I was really
good in math. My professor felt I should get into more
of a quantitative analytic side. I worked at NASA in
summers, and they had me build very rudimentary analytic models on a Wang [computer]. I earned a degree
in quantitative methods from Old Dominion University
and followed with a master’s in systems management
from Florida Institute of Technology and a doctorate
from George Washington University in business engineering and engineering management.
“The first time I went on a destroyer, a yard worker playfully tracked my
