NRL scientist receives Winifred Burks-Houck Professional Leadership Award

WASHINGTON – U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Physical Scientist, Treva Brown, Ph.D., received the prestigious Winifred Burks-Houck Professional Leadership Award presented at the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) Awards Ceremony on Oct. 3 in Orlando, Florida.

“If it were not for the encouragement of my parents and many mentors, I would not be able to take personal responsibility for creating the positive changes desired in the STEM community,” said Brown. “This award not only reflects the change I work to develop within STEM disciplines and underserved communities, but it is also a reminder that it takes action from each of us to create positive change we desire to see.”

Brown began her career at NRL in January of 2018 as a physical chemist at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. Her work today centers on corrosion science research in the Physical Oceanographic Processes Section of the Ocean Science Division.

Brown completed her Bachelor of Science degree at Louisiana State University and her Doctoral degree in Chemistry at the University of New Orleans as a Board of Regents Graduate fellow. 

Currently her work focuses on understanding the organisms that cause corrosion on metal materials and Department of Defense (DOD) assets through electron microscopy imaging, analytical and elemental analysis of specimens and basic corrosion and microbial research.

“Dr. Brown has been an invaluable member of the NRL team looking into mechanisms of corrosion and biodeterioration of Naval assets,” said Jason Lee, Ph.D., Physical Oceanographic Processing Section. “She has led the efforts in the multi-disciplinary characterization of biofilm and material interactions at the microscopic level utilizing techniques including, atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy and x-ray dispersive spectroscopy.”

Brown is passionately active in outreach and mentorship activities where she advocates for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in her local communities and spearheads initiatives aimed to improve diversity and inclusion within the scientific community. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,

Incorporated; the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers; the International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Society; and American Chemical Society.

Her service positions include membership in the Southeastern Microscopy Society; Diversity and Inclusion Representative for the Ocean Sciences Division of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory; Editorial Board Member for Microscopy Today Scientific Journal as Physical Sciences Director; and Founder and Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Microscopy Society of America.

“Dr. Brown’s passion for STEM is obvious through her continual personal and professional volunteerism, especially with those who are underrepresented,” said Richard Crout, Ph.D., Associate Superintendent, Ocean Sciences Division. “Invitations to present and run Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs at various conferences speaks to her success.  Dr. Brown is a treasured ambassador for NRL.”

She has continuously been involved in multiple STEM outreach programs since high school, and majority of her efforts have been in support of underrepresented minorities and women. Brown has participated in local STEM programs at the Louisiana Children’s Museum, National Coalition of 100 Black Women S.T.Y.L.E. Mentoring Program, numerous Louisiana Summer STEM programs, and STEM G.E.M.S Mentoring Program. She has led national efforts for expanding STEM participation by her passionate volunteering in NOBCChE and the Microscopy Society of America (MSA).

Brown is a past recipient of the 2017 Winifred-Burks Houck Graduate Leadership Award that recognizes the leadership, scientific achievements and community service shown while continuing a career in STEM disciplines. She has held four pageant titles with her platforms being in STEM engagement and has participated in numerous diversity efforts within NRL. In 2021, Brown was the recipient of the Women of Color in STEM Community Service in Government Award granted to individuals in the workforce who have demonstrated leadership in STEM communities through volunteer work, contributions, and other such activities that are not included in his or her job duties.           

“Dr. Treva Brown has demonstrated tremendous leadership in her continued STEM outreach efforts. She has leveraged her scientific research at NRL to excite the next generation of scientists and engineers through numerous outreach events she has pioneered,” said Jason Kooi, Research Physicist, Remote Sensing Division.

“For her efforts, she received the ‘2021 Women of Color in STEM Community Service in Government’ award and she was recently featured as part of the Naval Horizons video series (https://www.navalhorizons.us/index.html).”

Brown continuously strives to change the narrative and faces of the STEM discipline, stimulate our youth’s desire to learn more about science, and cultivate young adults’ career choices through career fair engagement. Her self-motivated dedication and passion for engaging community youth through outreach is recognized in the many awards she has earned.

The Winifred Burks-Houck Professional Leadership Awards are rewarded annually by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) to recognize the contributions of African American Women in scientific and technological fields of study and work. The award is named for Winifred Burks-Houck, environmental chemist and the first female president of NOBCChE.

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C., with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.

For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@us.navy.mil.