ARMY AL&T
involves human and animal cadavers. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I don’t think anyone denies that it’s cool,” she said. “We also spend some time visiting or hosting different senior Army leaders, units, countries and other services to gain feedback, show what we’re working on and find areas to collaborate on future testing and products.”
For the past year, she has chaired an integrated product team tasked with the purchase description rewrite for the VTP program. “Our goal is to rebalance the testing to optimize the time and cost spent, while maintaining performance. Tis will allow industry to redirect resources toward developing more advanced designs and technologies, which in turn benefits the Soldier. We’re looking to make the test procedures more statis- tically significant, operationally relevant and aligned with the original requirements.” Te work has “really forced me to get comfortable briefing to higher leadership and large groups of people, expanding my network and exercising different leader- ship skills,” she said.
ROUNDING FIRST
Wieland, assistant coach for the varsity softball team at Edison High School in Alexandria, Virginia, coaches first base and rewards a player for her base hit at a game in May 2024. The team recently made it to the regional semifinals for the first time in school history. (Photo by Susan Johnson, SGJ Photos)
don’t be afraid to play the devil’s advocate. You’re not always going to be in the position to directly foster large-scale change, but your actions may create a snowball effect or, at the very least, excite others to do the same.” Lastly, she said, the course taught her the importance of taking pride in her work. “Sometimes it’s the first or only impression others will ever have of you; make it something worthy of respect.”
Most of Wieland’s work at PdM SPE focuses on the Army’s new hard armor, known as vital torso protection (VTP). “We’re always looking for new ways to lighten the Soldier load and increase mobility while maintaining protection through technology and material advancements,” she explained.
What she enjoys most about her work is the hands-on, interactive nature of it. “Sometimes when we conduct human factors eval- uations, engineers get to participate too. I’ve jumped in a pool with the full kit to help test out the emergency release mecha- nism. Tis allows us to gain understanding and feel what the Soldier experiences,” she explained. “Some of the team’s testing
She’s hoping to continue her career development through the Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP). “I think it would be perfect for my role as a body armor engineer. Te warfighter wants someone like them creating gear, and we’re often asked how someone who has never had to wear the gear or experience first-hand the challenges that come with it can possibly create product of value,” she said. ELDP “is the next step past human-factor evaluations and user feedback. Apart from joining the Army as a Soldier, ELDP would be the next best thing for a civilian engineer like myself.”
When she’s not in the office, you might find Wieland on a soft- ball diamond, where she coaches a local high school team. “After graduating, I struggled with feeling fulfilled and lacked an outlet for my competitive nature. I direct as much of that to my job as I can, but it’s not the same.” So she started coaching. “I got addicted to it. It is so rewarding to be able to give back and watch your efforts take form in a new way, through someone else. Similar to my work, it helps me to develop my leadership and interpersonal skills.”
She added, “One lesson I always find myself coming back to is that people respect those who are passionate and hard working in what they do. I think this makes me a better softball coach, employee and leader. Finding something you’re passionate about will motivate you to work harder and feel more fulfilled.”
—SUSAN L. FOLLETT
https://asc.ar my.mil 55
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