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NEWS | Sept. 14, 2020

NSWCDD Hispanic Heritage Month Employee Spotlight

By NSWCDD Corporate Communications Division

DAHLGREN, Va - Luis Valcourt Colón – lead software engineer for the Battle Management System (BMS) at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) – earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science at the University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón Campus. After graduating, he started working right away with the BMS program providing quality software engineering work products for the Precision Strike Package (PSP) and Unmanned Surface portfolio. He formed part of the Sly Fox Mission 23 team, working on an artificial intelligence and machine learning solution to detect the best search path for an Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Mission using unmanned surface vehicles. During that time, he completed a master’s degree in engineering management at Old Dominion University, with a graduate certificate in project management. Right now, he leads the software efforts for the High Volume Long Range Precision Strike project as well as the Combatant Craft project. He forms part of the recruiting effort by BMS by being an advocate of the program reaching out to multiple universities in Puerto Rico.

As part of the STEM community, Luis leads the SeaPerch and SeaGlide efforts by reaching out to schools in different counties as well as supporting teachers and students during the academic year. He established an Education Partnership Agreement with the Puerto Rico Department of Education to support the SeaPerch program in various schools on the island. During the academic year, volunteers like Luis offer training and classes for teachers and students with the end goal of introducing the engineering process to them. As of now, including Puerto Rico, the program has reach over 15 school districts with a total of 143 schools participating in the yearly regional competition organized by the NSWCDD SeaPerch team. The team also supports the international competitions by helping out the winning teams of the regional and serving as judges during the event.

“Time is something that we cannot get back, so keep learning, keep acquiring and sharing knowledge every day,” said Colón. “Knowledge is something that no one can take from you and its value and importance increases when you share it with others.”