National Black engineer awards celebrate Sandia Labs scientists

Image of Danielle Stephenson

Senior Technology Fellow winner Danielle Stephenson is a mechanical engineer and research and development principal for surety engineering at Sandia National Laboratories. (Photo courtesy of Dusty Wilde) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Three Sandia National Laboratories professionals recently received 2023 Black Engineer of the Year Awards. Danielle Stephenson was lauded as a Senior Technology Fellow, Coby Davis as a Science Spectrum Trailblazer and Ned Adams as a Modern-Day Technology Leader.

The recipients, all with advanced degrees or certificates, perform several roles at Sandia and with research and academic partners across the country, and have received numerous professional accolades.

In addition to their professional pursuits, each winner is active within their communities as STEM mentors and tutors for local underserved youth and hosts for local, regional and national STEM education and career events.

Image of Coby Davis

BEYA Science Spectrum Trailblazer Coby Davis is a mechanical engineer working in materials aging research and development at Sandia National Laboratories. (Photo by Lonnie Anderson) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.

BEYA Science Spectrum Trailblazer Coby Davis is a mechanical engineer working in materials aging research and development. Davis joined Sandia in 2002 as a product design engineer. Since, he has worked as a principal investigator in surveillance and electromechanical components. He also has served as a team lead in product realization and as a manager in materials reliability. Outside of his work, Davis strives to better the education of our communities’ youth, particularly the underprivileged. He has tutored hundreds of students one-on-one and in small classes, focusing on those who do not have the resources to attend college without help.

Image of Ned Adams

BEYA Modern-Day Technology Leader Ned Adams is an information technology solutions architect in systems development at Sandia National Laboratories. (Photo by Lonnie Anderson) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.

BEYA Modern-Day Technology Leader Ned Adams is an information technology solutions architect in systems development. He designs information systems hardware, software, database, networking and security architectures across key Sandia centers, developing solutions to complex problems. Adams joined Sandia Labs more than 40 years ago in the microwave metrology lab where he learned instrument control language. Adams is a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion initiatives at Sandia and is a role model for aspiring minorities in STEM.

“Sandia Labs is proud of this year’s BEYA winners, not only for outstanding impact in their respective fields, but also their unwavering commitment to energizing underserved youth about the excitement and opportunities in STEM careers,” said Sandia Chief Diversity Officer Larry P. Thomas. BEYA is a program of the national Career Communications Group, an advocate for corporate diversity, and is part of its STEM achievement program. The awards annually recognize the nation’s best and brightest engineers, scientists and technology experts. This year’s conference was held Feb. 9-11, when the awards were announced.