Three employees have been selected as Rockwell Collins 2016 Corporate Engineers of the Year and were recognized for demonstrating outstanding technical creativity and innovation at the company’s annual Engineering Breakfast on Monday, Feb. 20, in celebration of National Engineers Week.
Clarence (Matt) Heckman, a senior software engineer in commercial systems; John Thedens, a principal technical project manager in government systems; and Lee Paulsen, a principal electrical engineer in engineering and information technology (E&IT), were selected for achievements that resulted in significant impact to Rockwell Collins and the engineering profession.
Heckman, who has been with Rockwell Collins for eight years, led the software development for a major feature enhancement to Rockwell Collins’ advanced terrain functionality on its Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system. His contributions gave Rockwell Collins a lean, innovative solution that is integrated so tightly into Pro Line Fusion that it doesn’t require the usual hardware box on the aircraft. It saves space, weight, power consumption and recurring costs. The resulting terrain functionality will have the flexibility and affordability to go into markets across the enterprise.
Thedens, a 38-year company employee, drove the technical development of Rockwell Collins’ first-ever multi-channel, battery-powered radio from a clean-sheet prototype to a mature radio system in less than six months. He also led the technical proposal for the radio, which positions Rockwell Collins as one of several finalists for a major contract supporting the U.S. Army’s Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit (HMS) program.
Paulsen is a recognized expert in the electronically scanned array (ESA) domain and led the development of affordable ESA technology for Rockwell Collins. ESAs enable fast, accurate tracking capabilities for objects such as satellites and enable next-generation high throughput connectivity. His contributions helped enable Rockwell Collins to compete with larger ESA providers, but at a much lower price point – thus allowing the company to pursue new opportunities in both the commercial and defense markets. Paulsen has been with the company for 13 years.
