THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF ACQUISITION
N NICHOLAS T. KALINOWSKI
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center
TITLE: Test Officer
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 11
AAW/DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Level II in test and evaluation, member of the Army Acquisition Corps
EDUCATION: M.S. in systems engi- neering management from Naval Postgraduate School, B.S. in electrical engineering from Wilkes University
ick Kalinowski is not a suit-and-tie kind of guy. He enjoys getting to roll up his sleeves, tinker with machinery and analyze data in his role as test officer at Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC), located at Aberdeen Prov-
ing Ground, Maryland. “I’m getting paid to have fun in this job,” he said. “I work in the developmental testing side of test and evaluation [T&E], which is focused on a system’s overall operation and its ability to meet the technical requirements in a controlled environment.” In other words, what would happen to a certain piece of electrical equipment at 50 degrees below zero? What if it were transported over very rough terrain, or encountered electromagnetic interference? Soldiers depend on reliable power systems and electronics, and often use them in harsh condi- tions. Kalinowski is the person who makes sure they will be able to function when needed. And he’s having a great time. “I could never go back to sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week,” he said.
Tis summer, he completed his Master of Science degree in systems engineering management at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California, and was awarded the Meyer Award for Outstanding Student in Systems Engineer- ing (distance learning). He said it was a challenging program, though he initially misjudged the amount of work involved. “Te last two years have ended all my hobbies,” he joked. “I underestimated the amount of time that school would take, combined with our workload at the test center. My wife and I also bought a house, and we’re still working on repairs and renovations. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave a lot of free time to watch sports.”
As most homeowners will attest, the stream of home renovation projects can last for years. “I’ve had to retile the shower, hang lights, install ceiling fans, and I also just tore down the old deck and replaced it,” he said. His current project is in the basement, where he’s creating a sports-themed getaway. “I’ve got a big TV with built-ins, I have speakers in my walls, and it’s all painted in Mets colors.” Yes, the Mets. His mother’s family grew up around Long Island, New York, so he was wear- ing orange and blue as a child in Pennsylvania. “My wife said it’s time to finish up the basement, so I hope to have that project wrapped up in the next couple of weeks.” Maybe then he’ll have time for hobbies again.
Kalinowski doesn’t mind hard work, but some things are more difficult than others. In his job at ATC, he said the most challenging thing is not the actual testing— it’s the stakeholder engagement and managing expectations. “Te focus of my job is to work with the customer to understand the requirements and objectives of their system, and to help the customer understand what kind of testing is needed to verify that those requirements are met.”
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Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2021
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