Sanchez promoted to branch chief, wins national honor

17 Aug 2005 -- Vicksburg, MS -- Jose E. Sanchez, a supervisory hydraulic engineer at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Miss., was recently promoted to chief of the Harbors, Entrances and Structures Branch of the ERDC Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory.

As branch chief, Sanchez oversees the engineering aspects of the Corps¿ mission as it relates to harbors, entrances and inland and coastal structure projects. The branch focuses on applied research and development to assess performance; develop, verify and optimize project designs; and develop and improve design guidance and tools.

Sanchez was also recently recognized by Science Spectrum magazine as a 2005 Emerald Honors award recipient.

The Emerald Honors are the premier awards for Blacks, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Native Americans working in the research sciences.

"Multicultural communities are where the action is in finding, preparing and recruiting a new generation of science researchers in the United States," said Dr. Tyrone Taborn, editor-in-chief of Science Spectrum.

Sanchez was recognized for his work with area students at Warren Central High School, as an instructor in Advanced Placement Physics and as advisor and coach of the school¿s Robotics Team, which advanced to the national level of competition under Sanchez' direction, reaching the quarterfinals in each of the last five years and winning three design awards.

Sanchez has been employed with the ERDC for almost 10 years. His primary research has dealt with navigation lock filling and emptying system evaluation and design, dissolved gas abatement techniques on spillway basins, groundwater and surface hydrology, and hydraulics structures modeling. He has been the principle investigator on two major hydraulic structure studies and numerous reimbursable projects. He has served as a consultant in international research areas, including participation on the U.S. Agency for International Development team to assess the agricultural lands affected by Hurricane Mitch in Honduras. He has also served as a technical advisor on research efforts in Nicaragua, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.

Sanchez earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. He is a member of the International Navigation Association and is a graduate of the Corps of Engineers Emerging Leader program. He currently serves as chairman of the Corps' Command Council Liaison Team and is a member of the Corps' People Committee.