2025 NOAA EDMW

I could write about the work I do, but I think telling where I have worked is more interesting.  After receiving my Undergraduate degree, Harley-Davidson R&D hired me to work in a niche department about customer correlation.  Everyone was fun to work with, and being able to schmooze with Willie G. about anything under the sun was wonderful.  Strange as this may sound, I did not own a Harley, I did not own a motorcycle, I did not have a motorcycle license, and I even didn't know how to ride. But my wife was happy, and that counted for a lot more. I have plenty to talk about my stay at H-D.

I then became a contractor at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. What a culture change! Yet, it was super for all its differences. I worked on a variety of instruments and spacecraft. I worked with some of the smartest engineers. But the best part was being able to interact with the scientists and many PI. It was kind of like my experience at H-D where I could walk into the office of someone who won a Nobel Prize (Dr. John Mather) and just talk like friends. For every instrument or spacecraft I worked on, I always went to the scientists to better understand how what I was creating/building would help the science they wanted to perform.

I wanted a change of scenery, so I switched to being a contractor for the Navy. A nice train down to the Washington Navy Yard took me to work with some people who had a (multiple) Ph.D. or active sailors or civilian Federal employees or people who served in the past but didn't even have an Associate's degree yet knew more about ships and boats than anyone. Another culture change: the chain of command; and that contractors and Federal employees (especially if they were military) do not mix. A very different environment and one that did not suit my personality.

I went back to NASA GSFC and continued to do the work I had been previously. Then, out of the blue, NOAA calls me up and offers me a position in the NESDIS Line Office. Wow! A Federal employee position and doing work that excited me (some of it similar to the past). I got see how service + science + stewardship really worked, and how what I did contributed to all three of those keywords that describe NOAA.

So that is where I am now. I would love to talk with people about their journeys, like and interests, even the stuff they hate. Come on - let's talk (over coffee would be a plus).

- Mort

P.S.  For some reason I am getting an error for my Twitter profile, but here it is: @mbccohen