PANAMA CITY, Fla. –
Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) Electrical Engineer Jose E. Fernandez has been selected by Great Minds in STEM (GMiS) to receive a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Hero Award.
The STEM Hero Award recognizes the work of America’s top scientists and engineers for outstanding technical accomplishments and identifies and showcases achievements of the nation’s most talented engineers and scientists within the Hispanic community.
Dr. Kerry Commander, NSWC PCD science and technology department head, said, “I am proud of Fernandez’s significant contributions to the development and transition of mine hunting sonar hardware and software to Fleet systems. We are truly honored to have him on our team.”
Fernandez is responsible for developing, evaluating, and demonstrating new sonar technologies for the U.S. Navy. He is considered the Navy’s premier expert in the design of synthetic aperture sonars for the detection of underwater mines and unexploded ordnance.
With over thirty years of experience, Fernandez is considered a leader in his field by enhancing mine detection capabilities with developments and implementation of novel processing techniques.
“I am humbled and honored to receive this award,” said Fernandez. “In a larger sense, however, this award is also to my family and the many friends that have guided, influenced and helped me through the various phases of my career, and to the outstanding NSWC PCD and Navy family of which I’ve been fortunate to be part of.”
The GMiS Hero Award will be presented to Fernandez at the National Defense Awards during the 2018 HENAAC Conference in Pasadena, California Oct. 18, 2018.