Dr. Brenda J. Little Essay, Research Paper

Dr. Brenda J. Little of the Naval Research Laboratory Stennis Space Center is the recipient of the 1995 women in Science and Engineering Award. This award recognizes specific or special scientific or technical contributions by a woman scientist in the Federal service and specific contributions made by a woman scientist toward encouraging young girls and women to pursue science or engineering careers, or enhance employment, promotional or development opportunities for women scientists in their field. Dr. Little, head of the Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion Section at NRL, has worked on MIC projects for the Department of Energy and the U. S. Army, and has served as a consultant to the U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Atomic Energy Laboratory of Canada.

In addition to her accomplishments in basic research, Dr. Little also works on U. S. Navy platforms to identify and control MIC. Her research has been used to determine the cause of corrosion failures in weapons systems, seawater piping systems, storage tanks and other U. S. Navy equipment. She is currently

investigating fungal growths on wooden spools and corrosion of wire ropes used to transfer people and

weapons between ships.

In 1988 Dr. Little received a patent award for an innovative dual-cell corrosion measuring device, the only published technique for quantifying the electrochemical impact of microorganisms on metal surfaces. In 1985 she was selected by the National Science Foundation as one of eight American Scientists to attend a workshop on biodeterioration in La Plata, Argentina, and to attend a similar NSF workshop in Paris, France in 1988.

Dr. Little is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and Montana State University,

and has collaborative research with investigators at Harvard University, University of Southern California,

University of South Alabama, University of Tennessee, Texas A&M University, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Singing River Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association selected Dr. Little as one of the

ten 1990 Women of the Year on the Gulf Coast for her participation in programs for women in science and

technology. She has been keynote speaker for several Women in Science and Technology Conferences for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, has participated in career day programs sponsored by the

Girl Scouts Chapters of Mississippi, and has presented lectures at honors classes in chemistry and biology

and local schools.

She is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Adhesion Society, the Electrochemical Society, the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, Sigma Xi, Federally Employed Women, and the Mississippi Academy of Science. She has served the Gulf Coast Chapter of Sigma Xi as secretary, president-elect, president and past president.

In addition to numerous performance awards, Dr. Little was selected for “Who’s Who in Technology Today” and “American Men and Women in Science” in 1986, received NRL publications awards in 1981 and 1986, received an invention award and Best NRL Patent Award for 1989, and the NRL Alan Berman Research Publication Award in 1994.