BEL AIR, Md. (Feb. 3, 2023) — U.S. Army scientists and engineers are joining Harford Community College students to expand educational opportunities and connections to the workforce.
The mentorship program is part of Aberdeen Proving Ground’s ongoing outreach efforts in science, technology, engineering and math education with the local community. The Army’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center is providing HCC students with an opportunity to link what they learn in the classroom with STEM careers. The C5ISR Center is an element of the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command.
“It is both a personal and C5ISR Center priority to connect with academia and directly pair experienced Army personnel with college students,” said Natalie Grenoble, C5ISR Center program staff advisor for workforce and community outreach. “I am a strong believer in collaboration across a community. We have been extremely fortunate to have such a delightful group of mentors and mentees whom I believe is the main contributor to the success of this program.”
C5ISR Center’s second mentoring cycle with HCC runs through 2023 with seven STEM employees and students each. Students have expressed a specific interest in engineering, computer science, and information assurance and cybersecurity, according to Anna Berglowe-Lynch, the college’s coordinator for career services.
“Mentorship is so important for college students. It helps to kick-start their professional network, learn more about their chosen field and grow into polished professionals. It’s hard to start a new field, and to have someone provide advice and guidance from their own learned experiences is priceless,” she said.
Karla Wynn, an HCC student development specialist, said students gain opportunities to expand their horizons and look beyond the classroom.
“The biggest benefit from mentoring programs is for students to learn how what they learn in the classroom can have an impact on the application in industry, and vice versa,” Wynn said. “Additionally, students can ask mentors to impart the wisdom they have gained from years of professional experience and training with the next generation of professionals in the STEM fields.”
Connecting students with the best potential career opportunities at APG is another significant benefit, according to Keith Riser, a C5ISR Center STEM subject-matter expert and an HCC mentor.
“What I like about the program from the start is that the interaction isn’t meant to be one-way, and I am getting an opportunity to learn from students what their focuses are and where their interests lie. With that knowledge I can help focus on where to best connect them in the APG community,” Riser said. “A mentor program is even more important now than it was before because there will be many highly qualified engineers out there, but they will lack domain and industry knowledge.
“Having the mentorship program will provide great opportunities for the students to learn all about the many opportunities APG offers state-of-the-art technology and tools, helping direct and focus the amazing potential coming out of HCC.”
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The C5ISR Center is the Army’s applied research and advanced technology development center for C5ISR capabilities. As the Army’s primary integrator of C5ISR technologies and systems, the center develops and matures capabilities that support all six Army modernization priorities, enabling information dominance and tactical overmatch for the joint warfighter.
The C5ISR Center is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. Through collaboration across the command’s core technical competencies, DEVCOM leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nation’s wars and come home safely. DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.
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