Terance Neal, a mechanical engineer in Mission Technologies’ Nuclear and Environmental Services business group, was honored with the “Modern Day Technology Leader Award” at this year’s BEYA STEM Conference.

“I took an interest in math at a very early age,” Neal said, “thanks to my elementary school math teacher. He would award us tickets for doing challenge problems, and we were able to use tickets at a candy shop at the end of the year. This interest rolled into high school, where I joined the math team and competed at a state level in Texas and ultimately got me into MIT and mechanical engineering.

“I’m currently working in the Non-destructive Testing Engineering group in Newport News Shipbuilding. After learning some of the basics, I was able to develop the training program used in the NDT Supplier Support. I’m also currently involved in the project to replace traditional film radiography with computed radiography.

“I have worked at HII for a little over two years. I’ve appreciated the challenges presented to me while here with the NDT group, but the aspect of my job that I enjoy the most are my coworkers. Due to everybody’s diverse backgrounds, I have learned so much from them while working in this group.

“The best advice that I would give a new employee would be to leverage the experience of everybody around you. There are so many experienced personnel, some of which are Master Shipbuilders, who are exceptionally knowledgeable and eager to share their wisdom. Take that extra step and connect with as many people you can.”