Engineers receive Black Engineer of the Year awards Published Feb. 2, 2005 By Mindy Kae Cooper Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- Two Air Force Research Laboratory engineers have won Black Engineer of the Year awards.Dr. Chandra Curtis, a digital avionics systems engineer for the munitions directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., has been selected for the “Most Promising Engineer in Government” award. Dr. Curtis is currently working on applications of reconfigurable computing for real-time processing of autonomous target acquisition algorithms and investigating its usefulness in embedded systems for autonomous vehicles.She also advises other engineers and scientists within the lab on processing technologies to help determine suitable computer platforms for certain applications.Dr. Lawrence Porter, a retired executive of the research and development department of the materials and manufacturing directorate, was selected for the “Pioneer” award. Dr. Porter is responsible for the directorate efforts toward initiatives involving historically black colleges and universities and minority institutions.This project was originally established to create working relationships between the Air Force and certain colleges and universities. Now it is a full research and development program. This program allows students to get involved with cutting edge research to expand their educational experience.Black Engineer of the Year award winners are selected by an industry-wide committee during a weeklong selection process. They are selected for their innovation and commitment to engineering and leadership excellence. They are also recognized for their contributions to their communities as mentors and role models.