Nominations sought for Hispanic STEM award

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Gina Vaccaro McKeen
  • Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Airmen now have another way to be recognized for their hard work both on and off the job. Nominations for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math awards from the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award Conference are open to all ranks and are due June 26.

The HENAAC STEM awards recognize individuals in ten overall categories including engineering, information technology, community service and diversity.

"These awards are a wonderful opportunity for supervisors to recognize their Airmen in addition to traditional Air Force Awards," said Ms. Nancy Brown, the Hispanic employment and federal women's program manager for the Air Force. "Awards like these allow us to acknowledge the individual talents and achievements of our Airmen, both military and civilian, and show them how the Air Force values their commitment to excellence in a diverse workforce."

Nominations will be submitted by major commands via the organization's Web site, www.henaac.org, which also lists eligibility and application requirements.

While many of the HENAAC awards are for scientists, mathematicians, computer scientists and individuals working in technical and engineering fields, not all winners must be technical professionals or Hispanic. The diversity, community service, education awards, and Chairmen's Award are open to all. In addition, HENAAC has special awards categories exclusively for military employees.

"These external, diversity-oriented awards are a testament to the quality and talented Airmen working every day to achieve the mission," said Master Sgt. Jeffrey Busse, noncommissioned officer in charge of the Air Force's special trophies and awards section. "The Air Force is proud to promote awards that celebrate diversity and inclusiveness."

The special trophies and awards section at AFPC facilitates 13 diversity awards each year. Three awards are new for 2009 and Sergeant Busse believes the number will continue to grow.

Since many of these awards are annual, he continued, Airmen can be proactive in preparing their nomination packages.

"Airmen should think ahead and visit the Web sites for these awards programs to see what the criteria are and get the word to their supervisors ahead of time," Sergeant Busse said. "Many Airmen get so caught up in their day-to-day mission that they do not realize submitting candidates for awards like this helps achieve the Air Force mission as well."

According to Sergeant Busse, the Air Force benefits from awards like this because Airmen are recognized for their outstanding work and receive professional and personal development.

HENAAC is an organization dedicated to promoting strong science, technology, engineering and math careers in underserved communities and within the Hispanic population. The organization was established in 1989 and has recognized STEM professionals from corporations, government agencies, academic institutions, the military, and the business community for the past 20 years. HENAAC has also awarded over $919,000 in scholarships to college students across the U.S.

Winners will be announced the first week of August and recognized at the HENAAC Conference and Awards show Oct. 8-10 in Long Beach, California.

For award and nomination information, visit www.henaac.org.