2022 STEM Hero Honorees

It would be difficult to find an engineer more committed to STEM outreach and service than Dr. Reginald Bourgeois.  Since joining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the STEM coordinator for the Albuquerque district in 2014, he’s led all STEM outreach partnerships with universities, schools, and pueblos across the region.  Dr. Bourgeoise’s efforts specifically target disadvantaged Hispanic communities and tribal nations within Colorado, New Mexico, and western Texas.  He’s averaged well over 150 hours of community service each of the last several years and inspired an increase in employee participation in the district’s STEM outreach programs.

In 2022 alone, Dr. Bourgeois has created partnerships with the Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science, the Albuquerque Sign Language Academy, New Mexico Tech, and the University of New Mexico.  His work with UNM included a Regional Science Olympiad, a Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and a research challenge competition between 203 teams.  He’s also been an active member of the University of New Mexico’s STEM Board of Advisors for 8 years.

Dr. Bourgeois’ career in the military began when he accepted a U.S. Army scholarship to the Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating with a degree in physics.  He would go on to distinguish himself as an active-duty officer in a U.S. Army cavalry unit.  He served 7 overseas tours, including posts in Germany, Iraq, Bosnia, and Kosovo, and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Subsequent assignments included information technology posts in Hungary, Romania, and at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany where he served as a civilian deputy operations officer.