2021 STEM Hero Honorees

Oscar Velez-Ramos first joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an intern at the Engineer and Research Development Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Impressed with his work, Mr. Velez-Ramos received and accepted an offer to join USACE’s St. Louis District while he was still a graduate student.

He put grad school on hold for a bit to start his professional career, but he soon found himself back in his native Puerto Rico when he was deployed as part of USACE’s disaster response following Hurricane Maria, helping directly to restore the grid in and around his hometown.

With a combination of in-person and remote classes due to his work obligations and the sudden onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Velez-Ramos completed his two master’s degrees in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, in 2020.

During his 6 years with the USACE St. Louis District, Mr. Velez-Ramos has been actively engaged in the recruitment of new hires. He’s also a member of the STEM team within the St. Louis District where he attends various community events.