Steve Carter joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as part of NTC this semester to conduct research and begin earning his doctorate degree. Since receiving his Master’s degree in Civil Engineering 17 years ago, Carter has worked as an engineer in the US Air Force and US Army Corps of Engineering.
Carter served as a missile facilities craftsman in the U.S. Air Force where he worked on silos and other equipment in Wyoming. In 2008 he joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering at their Omaha location. During his time working there, he spent three years in Japan and one year in Germany working for the European District. He returned to Omaha in January of 2020 and was able to receive funding for his PhD through the Army career program under the science and engineering infrastructure portion.
At the beginning of the semester, Carter expressed to NTC his excitement to earn his PhD, engage in research, and eventually be able to contribute to his career at a higher level. His research scope centers around protective design and defensive engineering. Specifically, he will be taking a closer look at Entry Control Facilities (ECFs), which he is already familiar with through his current position. As he obtains his degree, Carter will continue to work remotely in his position as Senior Leader and Director of the Transportation Systems Center.
Entry Control Facilities are designed to control who has access to a military location. It is important for these facilities to keep out unwanted actor or aggressor vehicles at the perimeter of the base and remain impenetrable so as to incapacitate the aggressor until law enforcement can arrive and take over. The barriers must be able to withstand substantial attacks from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and Vehicular Born IEDs. Carter will be conducting research through NTC to improve upon the design and safety of the barriers surrounding these ECFs.
