CECOM Spotlight: Safety engineer enjoys the challenge of continuously learning

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Linda Seubert, a safety engineer for the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command’s Directorate for Safety, said what she appreciates most about her job is variety and the pursuit of learning.

“Every week, I have to learn something new,” Seubert said. “There is always going to be something else I can learn, something I haven’t thought about before, something we need to fix; I do not get bored.”

Seubert, a member of the Systems Safety Engineering Division, works on the equipment Soldiers wear, including batteries. She has been with the government for 14 years and currently supports various Soldier-focused efforts under Project Manager Soldier Warrior, or PM SWAR, whose mission is to “rapidly deliver and sustain innovative warfighting solutions that detect, identify, and provide persistent insights to enable maneuver and lethal effects on enemy forces.”

Seubert communicates with her PM Integrated Visual Augmentation System teammates almost daily. According to Seubert, in her job, building relationships is essential. As a safety engineer, she is a consultant on the next iteration of IVAS, which has become a high-visibility effort for the Army. IVAS “integrates next generation 24/7 situational awareness tools and high-resolution digital sensors to deliver a single platform that improves Soldier sensing, decision making, target acquisition, and target engagement.”

Seubert explained that involving safety early in the process can save the Army money in the long run. She added that equipment always involves risk, and determining the level of risk is part of her job.

“Sometimes having the ability to get the equipment to the field might outweigh a risk, because it is something that may not happen very often, or if it happens, we don’t anticipate that it is going to be a severe injury or bad equipment damage,” she said. “So, the risk acceptance authority weighs and decides whether or not to proceed. But if you get safety in early, we can design engineering controls and develop training or warnings; just ways of reducing the risk, or in the best case, to eliminate the problem.”

Seubert said that military batteries worn by Soldiers tend to have strict safety requirements. In the past, she has traveled to vendors when they conduct safety testing.

“Some of these tests are not exactly pass/fail. We want to know what will happen to the battery during certain conditions,” she said.

Seubert said the job has a big learning curve. When she first started at CECOM, she was told it would take her about three years to learn the job.

“Particularly with batteries, there are so many systems they touch; there are so many interesting things you can learn about,” she said.

Seubert advises new engineers not to be afraid to ask questions.

“You can always do your job better, and the one way to do that is to ask questions,” she said.

Career in engineering

Seubert holds a bachelor’s degree in fire protection engineering from the University of Maryland and a professional engineering license in fire protection engineering. Seubert said she picked that major because fire protection engineers are in high demand, and she was able to obtain a full scholarship.

“The field I went into is about protecting life and property through engineering systems,” she explained.

Additionally, Seubert has a master’s degree in safety engineering and management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Before working for CECOM, Seubert had several very different positions. She was a Navy contractor and eventually started her own company, a professional engineering firm which provided third-party consulting to the government, including supporting Adelphi Laboratory Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Seubert said she decided to work for the government as a civilian because of the opportunity to further her education and career opportunities.

“The government has been really good to me,” she said.

Seubert started her government career as a safety engineer for Adelphi. While there, she took safety classes at APG and made contacts at CECOM. In 2015, she started working for CECOM, primarily on satellite equipment.

Passion for running

In her spare time, Seubert is an ultra-marathon runner, and trains at APG. After her grandson was diagnosed with childhood cancer, she uses her passion to fundraise for childhood cancer research.

“I figured, hey, I might not win a race, but if I can raise a couple thousand dollars, it can go to a few hours of research,” she said.

Seubert said she often gives her race medals to pediatric cancer patients and tells them they are winners.

“If it makes them happy for 30 seconds, then I have done my job,” she said. “These kids are so incredibly strong.”