Working with APL
About Our Staff
APL Organization
Our Heritage
Field Offices
Visitor Guide
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As
part of a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, the Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory features some of the many
accomplished Hispanic staff members who are making a difference
every day at APL and in their communities. |
J. Armendáriz |
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Dr. J.
Armendáriz is a
Senior Professional Staff applied mathematician in the Global Engagement Department. His primary focus
is on building mathematical models of missile systems for simulation
in APL's advanced computer modeling facility. He obtained a B.S.
in mathematics and physics from the University of New Mexico
and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Northwestern University.
He joined APL after completing a postdoctoral research appointment
at the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications at the
University of Minnesota. His major research interests are in
combustion and fluid dynamics and, more recently, in modeling
radar clutter phenomena. Dr. Armendáriz was a mentor for minority
students at the University of New Mexico and Northwestern and
is now a mentor at the Center for the Advancement of Hispanics
in Science and Engineering Education in Washington, D.C. He is
a member of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
and the American Physical Society.
Dr. Armendariz is president of the Hispanic Awareness Committee.
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E. Garcia |
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E. Garcia joined APL in May 2006. She is the Office Administrator for the Network Management Information Systems (VIM) group within the AISD department. Garcia has a B.S. in sociology from Kansas State University and undergraduate studies in social sciences from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. She is a member of the Hispanic Awareness Club and the APL Cycling Club. Her interests include teaching English as a second language. |
J. Huergo |
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J. Huergo is a science writer and public affairs specialist in APL’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs. She joined the lab in 2006 and writes press releases, communications plans, and articles for the APL News. Her experience before coming to APL includes promoting Navy science and technology, writing about physics and missile defense technology, and teaching astronomy at a planetarium. She believes in the importance of communicating science to a broad audience and fostering a scientifically literate society. Huergo earned a B.S. in Spanish literature from Colgate University and a M.A. in science writing from The Johns Hopkins University. Huergo is a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the D.C. Science Writers Association, and the Public Relations Society of America. |
W. A. Irizarry |
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W. A. Irizarry is an Embedded Systems Engineer working in the Engineering and Advanced Development Group (STN) of the National Security Technology Department. William holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico. His internships prior to working at the Laboratory include the FAA Technical Center, Texas Instruments, and IBM. Irizarry's technical interests include hardware & software development, digital design, real-time embedded systems, low-power design, and audio & video signal processing. In his spare time Irizarry enjoys watching movies, swimming, bike riding, and traveling. He is a current member of the Hispanic Awareness Club and the local 7th Day Adventist church. |
J. R. Latimer |
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Dr. J. R.
Latimer is the Assistant Department Head for Homeland Protection
in the National Security Technology Department. He is also Business
Area Executive for Homeland Protection and Associate Business
Area Head for the Biomedical Business Area. He was formerly the
supervisor of the Instrumentation Systems Development Branch
of the Strategic Systems Department. He has managed and technically
led, both as program scientist and line supervisor, the design,
development, installation, and performance assessment of various
sensors and data acquisition instrumentation systems. He is also
an experienced systems engineer and analyst with emphasis on
navigation systems, having contributed to the planning of tests
and developing of the analysis methodology for conducting accuracy
performance evaluations of the Navy's Trident II system. A Laboratory
staff member for over 20 years, Latimer is a member of APL's Principal
Professional Staff and has served on various Laboratory committees.
He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Villanova University,
a joint M.S. in biomedical and electrical engineering from Carnegie
Mellon University, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from
Catholic University. |
N. M. Merheb |
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N. M. Merheb, PE joined APL upon receiving a B.S. in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic University of his native Puerto Rico in 1999. He later received a M.S. in electrical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University in 2003 while working at APL, where he has been chiefly involved in developing architectures for the next generations of the major DoD satellite communications networks, and in assessing the intercept vulnerability and exploitability of existing and proposed wireless communications systems. He is a senior satellite communications systems engineer with the Applied Information Sciences Department. Current research interests include signals intelligence, electromagnetic propagation, and dynamic spectrum allocation methods and policies. His assessment work involves a large component of field testing that often takes him to work in a variety of remote locations and conditions; 'extreme engineering' would thus feature prominently in his list of hobbies. A Jesuit alumnus, Naim teaches elementary and high-school Math and English at two of their schools for lower-income youths in Baltimore.
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C. A. Renjifo |
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C. A. Renjifo is
an electrical engineer in the systems group (STS) of the National Security Technology Department. Since joining the lab in the fall of 2004, Mr. Renjifo has been involved in several efforts focused on improving existing classification technologies and algorithms within the domain of passive sonar acoustics. Renjifo holds bachelors and masters degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Insitute of Technology, and is an active member in several organizations including APL's Hispanic Awareness Committee and St. John the Evangelist Catholic parish. He also volunteers regularly as a Sunday school teacher for middle school-aged children and in his spare time enjoys running, traveling, and learning new languages to supplement his German and Spanish speaking skills. |
L. M. Rodriguez |
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L. M. Rodriguez is the Systems Accountant in the General Accounting Section (BSA) of the Business Services Department. Prior to joining APL, she worked for the General Electric Company and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Rodriguez earned a B.S. in Business Administration with an Accounting major from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus and is currently pursuing an MBA from the JHU Carey Business School. In her free time, Rodriguez enjoys traveling. |
P. A. Rodriguez |
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P.
A. Rodriguez is
an electrical engineer in the Global Engagement Department. He joined APL in 2004 after receiving his bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico. His previous experience includes working as an RF engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Currently, Rodriguez is pursuing a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. His technical interests include signal processing, biomedical image processing, and real-time simulation and modeling. He is treasurer of the Hispanic Awareness Club at APL. |
K. Roncal |
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K.
Roncal is an electrical engineer in the Information Technology
Group of the National Security Technology Department. She received
her B.S. degree in electrical engineering in 2003 from Vanderbilt
University. While completing her undergrad work, she was president
of Vanderbilt’s chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional
Engineers and a tutor to elementary school children. As a GEM
Fellow, she earned her M.S. in electrical engineering at the
University of Southern California (2004). She completed two internships
at APL before becoming a full-time staff member in May 2005.
She’s currently working on algorithm analysis for the Advanced
Processor Build program as well as providing Human-System Integration
support within the project. Her academic interests also include
psychology, education, and cognitive science. |
A. Williamson |
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A. Williamson was born in the Philippines to an English father and a Spanish mother. He was in 6th grade at a public school in Manila when Pearl Harbor was bombed. In 1942, when the Japanese occupied Manila, he and his family were interned as “enemy aliens.” He was a British subject when he came to the U.S. in 1945 and settled in Chicago, Illinois. Art became an American citizen in 1954 and was drafted into the U. S. Army. He attended radio and radar school at Ft. Monmouth and Nike launcher school at Redstone Arsenal. Taking high school courses at night, he earned a GED, and started college, majoring in physics, at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He earned his degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has taken graduate courses at the University of Maryland, JHU, and Catholic University. Williamson came to APL in September 1956 after his Army discharge. He has been in many organizations at APL, but his work has always involved surface-to-air missiles and associated radar testing, threat simulators design, and analyses. He’s currently in the Global Engagement Department (GVE) involved in threat radar and guided missile analyses. read more... |
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