Lockheed Martin engineer wins BOLD 10 Under 10 alumni award

As part of its annual Homecoming activities, Binghamton University honors alumni who have graduated within the last 10 years, demonstrated a very high level of career achievement since leaving campus and show great potential for future leadership.

Three of this year’s BOLD (Bearcats of the Last Decade) 10 Under 10 Award winners are alumni of the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science. We asked them to tell us how Watson influenced their career paths.

Devan Tracy ’13, who earned her BS in mechanical engineering with a minor in sustainable engineering from Binghamton University, is the Smart Buildings and Go Green associate manager for the Rotary and Mission Systems division of Lockheed Martin and a graduate of Lockheed’s Engineering Leadership Development Program. She is responsible for the implementation of data analytics software to perform fault detection and diagnostics, energy anomaly detection and predictive maintenance. Tracy is also responsible for strategy, planning, execution and reporting of energy reduction activities to drive affordability and support corporate sustainability initiatives. Under her leadership, $6.5 million in annual energy savings have been realized and the largest on-site solar photovoltaic system at Lockheed Martin was installed.

Tracy also holds a master’s degree in sustainable systems engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a Professional Engineer, Certified Energy Manager, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. In 2018, she was awarded the GreenBiz “30 Under 30” distinction and presented a TEDx Talk on the “Extinction of Sustainability” at Binghamton University.

What is it like receiving an award like this?

It is an incredible honor — I am very humbled. I am so happy to still be connected with the Binghamton University community nearly a decade after graduating.

How do you think your time at Watson set you up for success?

My Watson experience was a critical building block for the person I am today. Learning the fundamentals of mechanical engineering taught me how to make sense of the world around me from a technical viewpoint. The sustainability engineering minor (one of the key deciding factors of why I chose to attend Binghamton in the first place) inspired me to pursue a master’s degree and career in this field.

I recently became a manager of a small team of facilities professionals to expand data analytics technology for large industrial Lockheed Martin factories, including Owego and Syracuse. We use algorithms to detect anomalies with HVAC systems and find opportunities to save energy and conduct predictive maintenance activities.

Which Watson class or professor changed the way you thought about your area of study?

Real-world applications of engineering theory resonated most with me throughout the Watson curriculum.

For example, I remember Professor Roy McGrann’s classic assignment where we were challenged to design landing gear for an airplane. Late one night, I sprinted to the bathroom in the library basement, bursting into tears after trying for hours on end to produce a functional design. To this day, I always pick the window seat on an airplane and appreciate the level of detail that goes into many of life’s technologies that we often take for granted.

I also clearly remember an independent study where I got to monitor the solar panels on the Engineering and Science Building to compare the actual energy output to that of the projections. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to build on this experience and spearhead a 4MW solar installation at Lockheed Martin.

And last but not least, I will never forget our senior design project. We decided to take pulverized food waste from the dining halls, dry it out (with our noses plugged), and compress and burn it in the central heating plant boilers with the wood chips. This really got me thinking about energy density and lifecycle costs — two key topics that I now use in my job.

What are some of your favorite memories from your time here at Binghamton?

I lived on campus all four years because I wanted to be involved and exposed to a variety of activities and communities. I consider myself a multidimensional person and spent my free time balancing out the intensity of the Watson curriculum: drumming in the Harpur Jazz Ensemble and Binghamton University Percussion Ensemble, working at Binghamton Outdoor Pursuits, lobbying for bike racks on the University buses, lobbying for a greenway to connect campus to downtown, starting the University bike share with my brother Shane (also a Watson alum) and participating in the running club. I had the opportunity to be a teaching assistant for first-year Watson courses, and I also did MIDI (music recording), African drumming and yoga. As the sayings go, “Do what you love, and do it often” because “life is not a dress rehearsal.”

What advice would you give to current Watson students?

• Fill each of your summers with an internship. It will give you a huge leg up to have industry experience before graduating. Bonus: most engineering internships are paid!
• Take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam before you graduate, and then the Professional Engineering licensure as soon as you are eligible — you never know when you’ll need it! Maybe you’ll want to start your own business one day.
• Don’t worry if you struggle through some classes — and don’t be afraid to ask for help, whether it be at office hours or from your peers during a late-night cram session in the library.
• Follow your passion. (If you are not sure what your passion is, read “What Color is Your Parachute?” for inspiration.)
• Find a mentor who you can call on when you need to make a big decision or talk through your career aspirations.
• “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine — it’s lethal.” Don’t settle for comfort after graduation — keep challenging yourself to grow and be a student of life.