BLACK ENGINEER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
tenure at Camp Zama, home to the U.S. Army in Japan, he has worked on projects that have improved operations and the quality of life for service members and the civilian workforce. The army projects that have been completed under his leadership include renovations to a clinic used to provide immunizations for service members and their families during the 2009 H1N1 flu season; a patient waiting extension; and construction projects to support U.S. Army Japan’s mission in the Pacific region. In March 2011, he graduated from an 18-month Army Corps of Engineers leadership development program and met the rigorous requirements for professional certification three months later. By July, he had attained designation as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Associate. Bazemore is now studying to pass two intensive competency exams and earn his li- cense as a Professional Engineer. Achieving these accomplishments without impact on his daily responsibilities is indication of the level of his professionalism. A decade ago, when he enrolled at North Carolina A&T, he quickly became involved with the student chap- ter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and he took part in Adopt a Highway activities as well as voter registration drives. He also participated in federal internships at Baltimore’s Bureau of Waste and Wastewater, North Carolina Department of Transportation, and was a co- op student with the Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Fort Bragg.
Partnership
Excelling in problem solving and innovation often can not be ac- complished alone. Black engi- neers have realized that partner- ships are invaluable. Many now rely on partnerships to strength- en their ability to be successful both on the job and in their work in the community. For example, Onekki Christian, an engineer with Raytheon Company, has partnered with local schools and sororities in her community work.
In 2005, Bazemore
graduated from A&T and was one of only 12 students to earn a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Since then he has served as a civil engineer and quality assur- ance for multimillion dollar barrack projects and on an $80 million 2nd Brigade Bar- racks complex ensuring that
six four-story barrack buildings were ready for Army units arriving from Iraq and Afghanistan at Fort Bragg. In November 2005, he served on the emergency mission for hurricane Wilma, providing temporary roofs. In 2008, he relocated to Japan to contribute to the global mission and gain multicultural experience. Bazemore has been active in Camp Zama’s Groundhog Shad-
ow Day program, which provides fifth- and sixth-grade students the opportunity to shadow professionals in their work environment. He has also sponsored two Department of the Army interns from the Corps’ Honolulu District during their training and two cadets from West Point during troop leadership training with the Japan Engi- neer District. He collaborates with faculty to develop projects for Camp Zama High School to encourage students to pursue careers in math, science and engineering as well as learn about the mission of the Corps in Japan. Bazemore supported recruitment efforts by representing the Corps at the 2007 A&T recruitment events and the 2010 Black Engineer of the Year Awards STEM Job Fair.
26 USBE&IT I WINTER 2012 Engineer — Industry Most Promising
Terrence South- ern Senior Engineer, Flexible Automation PepsiCo Inc. Frito-Lay, North America
world. He graduated from Tennessee State Univer- sity and became one of the few black robotics engineers in America. In his first position as a robotics engineer in the automobile industry, he met the challenge of convincing workers that flexibility was the best way to grow and be profitable. Southern rose to manage a $16 million budget and 14 engineers before he decided it was time to take on a new challenge.
T
Automation is the process of helping companies in every industry become stronger competitors. To succeed, these employ- ers need the right solution providers, the right technology and the right expertise. Frito Lay, with an aggressive plan to automate its factories, recruited Southern for his skills about two years ago. Over the 2010-2011 fiscal year, he has been responsible for all robotic automated packing processes at the $13 billion convenient foods unit. He manages projects to ensure safety considerations are met, and that cost quality and production are improved and guidelines are followed. He has accomplished all this with above- board job performance, passion and commitment to excellence. Southern represented Frito Lay at a meeting of Automate 2011. Formerly known as International Robots, Vision & Motion Con- trol Show, Automate showcases the full spectrum of automation technologies and solutions. Part of Southern’s impact will also be his influence on creat- ing attractive factory jobs of the future. Toward that end, he plays a big role as a mentor. While in the auto industry, he became involved with First Robotics and he mentored teams that built robots in six weeks and went to competitions. In 2006, he started a grassroots initiative to launch several LEGO robotics teams across the city of Detroit, Mich. In 2009, Southern coached a team to second place at the RoboFest World Championships, an annual autonomous robotics competition designed to promote and support science, engineering, technology and math for students in grades 5 - 12 and college students. Within a few months of joining Frito- Lay, he gained corporate support and funding for a robotics class for middle school students in inner-city Dallas, Texas. He led and trained a team of engineers, who gave up their Friday afternoons for an entire school year to mentor and instruct. Because of these dedicated efforts, 16 kids were able to design, build and pro- gram robots to compete, even though most didn’t have access to computers at home or in the classroom. Southern is a member of the Robotics Industries Association, the Urban League of Greater Dallas and the National Society of Black Engineers.
www.blackengineer.com errence
Southern aims to change the
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