EMERALD HONORS WINNERS Career Achievement
Jason B. Ellis, Ph.D. Research Staff Member IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
O
ne doesn’t have to look further than Jason B. Ellis’ reports, talks and position papers to understand that he operates with a glob- al perceptive. “An- swers for Nigerian Farmers: A Mobile Phone Service for Nigerian Farmers” and “Using Vir- tual Interactions to Explore Leadership and Collaboration in Globally Distributed Teams” are just two of the long list of publications, techni- cal reports, confer- ence presentations and other works of
which Ellis has been a contributor. Ellis is a member of the re- search staff at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., where he designs, implements and studies social software, including online communities, social visualization and grassroots team tools.
As the team lead of the “Social Computing for the Next Billions” project, Ellis sets team goals and aligns their work with IBM business as well as initiates and manages relationships with internal and external partners. He’s also conducted field work in rural Uganda and Rwanda. His field is described as the study of how people interact with technology and more importantly how technology can be better designed to enhance people’s lives and work and support their highest aspiration. Ellis was the project manager and technical lead of one project that resulted in a hybrid mobile phone, web and “big screen” application for homeless mothers and their case workers to support finding housing, jobs and other resources. Ellis is credited with the con- ception, design and implementation of several “novel technology solutions.” A manager at IBM in social computing said Ellis is a “rare breed,” combining deep knowledge of computer science and en- gineering with solid skills in behavioral research and an “exqui- sitely” developed sense of design. Ellis, who holds five patents and has six patents pending, graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a doctorate in computer science from Georgia Institute of Tech- nology. His thesis focused on social computing and educational technology to help young people learn about the civil rights era. He has mentored others in his field through internships at IBM as well as through professional organizations.
www.blackengineer.com Career Achievement
Ben Charles King, Sr. Multi-Discipline Systems Engineer MITRE Corporation
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hose well acquainted with Ben Charles King and his substantial professional accomplish- ments don’t mince words in praising his talents and drive. “His greatest strength is the ability to very quickly understand a problem space, challenge assumptions and pose challenging questions that result in a better idea and resultant products,” said one of his supervi- sors. “I have always
found that if I had a problem, all I had to do point Ben at it and get out of the way,” said an engineer who has worked with him for more than 20 years.
King is a multi-discipline systems engineer at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, Va. MITRE is a not-for-profit company that works in the public interest, providing systems engineering, acquisition and advanced technology expertise to the government. During his 22-year career at MITRE, King has worked in perfor- mance engineering, security engineering and systems engineering. Currently he is working on research developing a Java pro- gram to generate a model to predict a component’s performance under different workloads and varying environmental condi- tions. He also has worked on chemical security assessment tool performance test, IT provisioning process improvement as well as provided technical support for testing of the global informa- tion grid. A senior program manager at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security credits King with the success of a project that embraces a new philosophy. “Mr. King understands our mission and better yet, has come to understand the operator on the front line…. He is one of the leaders on the team, someone that I know I can look to for solid advice and expertise.” King was adopted and reared by his grandparents. Although his grandfather did not have much formal education, he con- stantly espoused the value of education, which King took to heart. King, who became interested in computer science in high school, graduated in 1990 from the University of South Alabama with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. He earned his doctorate in computer and information sciences from George Mason University.
Generous with his knowledge, King enjoys working with young people who have an interest in science and technology. He has participated in the MITRE and T.C. Williams Engineering Enrichment Program, working with a group of high school stu- dents on several projects including designing and testing a circuit system for a burglar alarm. He also is a member of the Chantilly Pyramid Minority Student Achievement Committee.
USBE&IT I WINTER 2013 65
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