Speakers

Dr. David W. Pittman became the Director of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), headquartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in March 2017. As Director, he manages one of the most diverse research organizations in the world ' seven laboratories located in four states, with more than 2,100 employees, $1.2 billion in facilities, and a $1 billion annual program. The center's research and development support the Department of Defense and other agencies in military and civilian projects. Principal mission areas include military engineering, geospatial research and engineering, civil works and water resources, and environmental quality and installations. Research is conducted in many diverse areas, including airfields and pavements, compliance and conservation, environmental impacts, environmental quality, facilities engineering, flood control, geotechnical engineering and geosciences, geospatial data, hydropower, installation restoration, information technology, mapping, materials, mobility, navigation, oceanography, protective structures, recreation, regulatory functions, structural engineering, sustainment engineering, topography, and winter climatic conditions. Dr. Pittman is also the Director of Research and Development and Chief Scientist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In that role, he is responsible for creating policy and performing strategic planning, direction and oversight of R&D for the Corps' Military and Civil Works programs and for the Warfighter. He advises the Chief of Engineers on matters of science and technology and sets conditions for success in all S&T conducted in the Corps. Prior to his assuming his current position, Dr. Pittman served as the ERDC Deputy Director from April 2015 to March 2017. Dr. Pittman was selected to the Senior Executive Service in January 2005, at which time he became Director of the ERDC Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL) in Vicksburg. In that position, he led a team of more than 450 researchers and support staff in a $350 million annual program to discover, develop and deliver new technologies within the realm of geotechnical and structural engineering and the geosciences, addressing both civil works and military engineering challenges for the Warfighter and the nation. He also led ERDC's Military Engineering (ME) Business Area, which focuses on Warfighter support in force protection, force projection, and maneuver support. The ME Business Area has produced award- winning technologies, such as the Modular Protective System for shielding soldiers from traditional and asymmetric blast and ballistic threats; the Overhead Cover Protection technology for defending structures and temporary facilities against indirect fire weapons; the Joint Rapid Airfield Construction capability for quickly constructing and repairing airfields; and the Lightweight Modular Causeway System for enabling rapid logistics-over-the-shore and wet-gap crossing operations.