I began working with the DoD in 2014, and have had a variety of government roles and positions since then.
Below is a piece I wrote during my time with the Recruitment Office at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as their Recruitment Communications Program Manager.
The article was first posted to my LinkedIn on March 27, 2020, and the original piece can be found on here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/womens-history-month-mini-series-women-geoint-brittany-l-reid-2c/
Women's History Month Mini-Series: Women in GEOINT
Written by: Brittany L. Reid, Recruitment Communications Program Manager
NGA Talent Acquisition Center
March is Women’s History month, and as the month comes to a close, I wanted to take the time to recognize astounding women who have made amazing strides in our nation’s history. This mini-series honors women in the fields of GEOINT—specifically those who have made unique contributes in the land, sea, and space domains.
These women span the gamut of a multitude of STEM skillsets that fuel the core of Geospatial Intelligence.
Today, we recognize Dr. Katie Bouman, an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology whose research focuses on computational imaging, and who became renowned for her work in capturing the world's first image of a black hole in 2019.
Friday, March 27, 2020
KATIE BOUMAN
(1989 – )
Birth Location – West Lafayette, Indiana
Education – University of Michigan; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Space is infinite, which means that it has no limitations. Similarly, there’s no true limit on how old or young one can be to influence how humans analyze their way of life. For example, one person who has made a significant contribution in the field of astronomy before she turned 30 is Dr. Katie Bouman, an assistant professor for the California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech’s) Computing and Mathematical Sciences Department.
It was in 2011, that Dr. Bouman received her B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. She then went on to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she received her S.M. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 2013 and her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 2017. Dr. Bouman later joined Caltech as an assistant professor during the summer of 2019.
Contributions - Bouman was only 29 when she made headlines in spring of 2019 for developing the algorithm that led to the very first photographed image of a Black Hole. It was during her time as an MIT grad student, a mere six years prior, that Dr. Bouman first started making algorithms. Specifically, she began to work on an algorithm that would eventually would lead to an image of a supermassive black hole at the heart of the Messier 87 galaxy, some 55 million light years from Earth.
(Picture above from kdrv.com: https://www.kdrv.com/content/news/That-image-of-a-black-hole-you-saw-everywhere-today-Thank-this-grad-student-for-making-it-possible-508397481.html)
In order for Bouman’s algorithm to work, eight radio telescopes, which together make up a network known as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), had to capture the raw data of the Messier 87 galaxy’s black hole. That data was then stored on hundreds of hard drives (see photo). The EHT telescopes were stationed in various countries, and Bouman had to oversee a team of more than 200 scientists from around the world to ensure that the algorithm she created processed the data accurately. Bouman’s algorithm was essential for effectively converting that data into a visual image that was easy to observe, study, and that literally orbited the far corners of the digital universe.
(Picture above from ctvnews.ca: https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/meet-katie-bouman-the-scientist-behind-the-first-ever-picture-of-a-black-hole-1.4375377)
My Take – Before Bouman’s efforts, it was practically impossible for mankind to “see” and study Black Holes using conventional scientific research methods. Her work is revolutionary, and could serve as a critical tool in helping humans explore other facets of space deemed too dangerous to study in person. With more focus being placed on the use of satellites and how humans can effectively utilize the space domain, the work of people like Dr. Bouman will be key in helping our society successfully maneuver through, “the Final Frontier.” She has done more than “reach for the stars,” she has shown that we can shed light to break through the darkest corners of space.
Fun Fact – During the Fall of 2014, Dr. Bouman’s master's thesis, Estimating Material Properties of Fabric through the Observation of Motion, was awarded the Ernst Guillemin Award for best Master's Thesis in electrical engineering. (See https://www.eecs.mit.edu/news-events/announcements/eecs-celebrates-fall-2014-awards for more information). Additionally in 2016, Bouman delivered a TEDx talk entitled, How to Take a Picture of a Black Hole. During the talk, Bowman gave this piece of advice to those aspiring to blaze their own trails, “I’d like to encourage all of you to go out and help push the boundaries of science, even if it may at first seem as mysterious to you as a black hole.”
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Website References:
http://users.cms.caltech.edu/~klbouman/
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47891902
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/11/katie-bouman-black-hole-photo
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