As youngsters, our ambitions sometimes don’t align with our talents and passions, especially as we age. But for one Research Psychologist working in the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute’s (CAMI) Human Factors Laboratory, his career aligned nicely with his aspirations. As a young boy, Kevin W. Williams always imagined what it would be like to be a scientist. He even thought nuclear physics had a nice ring to it, but his interests kept leading him to research cognitive processing, specifically cognitive psychology. This is a career field where all internal mental processing is studied. Anything that the brain processes is studied in cognitive psychology, such as decision-making, perception, learning, memory, thinking, and problem-solving.
When Kevin became a teenager, his first job was working as an usher and concession stand worker in a movie theatre, which was probably a great place to study human behavior. Upon continuing his education and graduating from college, Kevin earned a degree in Cognitive Psychology in 1986 from the University of Oklahoma. He soon landed his first career-type job with General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas, working in their Human Factors Group's Artificial Intelligence (AI) section. At the time, Kevin was involved with a ’Pilot’s Associate’ program, including AI capabilities in fighter aircraft.
Later on, Kevin was hired to participate in a joint Army/Marine operational test of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) (Hunter UAV) in March of 1991. He went on to work as a lead researcher for the Human Factors (MANPRINT) test group. After completing the test, he was hired by the FAA’s CAMI Human Factors Laboratory as part of a Flight Deck Section of the Lab (called ’Safe Operations’) in Aerospace research. Though unaware, this was the lab where he would invest the next 31 years of his federal career.
Kevin remarks, "I was glad to have played a part in the initial efforts of introducing UAS’s into the National Airspace System (NAS). I see nothing but huge opportunities for these systems in the future, and I can claim to have been there at the beginning – at least as far as FAA oversight is concerned."
As with any federal career, this job was met with difficulties. Kevin says that his biggest challenge was coordinating research efforts across several lines of business. "The FAA is a multi-faceted organization with several groups sometimes having similar efforts and goals. Communications among all lines of business with everyone concerned can be challenging."
When asked which traits he values most in others, he remarked integrity, reliability, and honesty. Kevin comments on the best advice he’s ever received. He says, "You cannot achieve contentment by doing things that make you happy. You can only achieve it by doing things that make other people happy."
Kevin is wished well in his retirement, and there may be travel plans in his future as he and his wife love to explore. When asked to share their favorite location, Kevin replied, "Our favorite vacation is to find places that we have not visited before. There is no favorite because every place has unique characteristics and experiences," - spoken like a true researcher who likes to interact with his environment.
In retirement, you may also find him on the golf course. He says, "I enjoy golfing, although I’m not very good at it. Almost every round I play is a series of gradually diminishing expectations. I begin with the notion that I might score close to par and then hope to score somewhere less than 100. Besides that, I like to learn new things. I’m currently studying Spanish, but I also plan to take a variety of classes from an online company called, The Great Courses."
Undoubtedly, Kevin will be staying busy in this new chapter of life. When asked one last question, ’What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?’ He casually says, "Oh, I play the trumpet in a rock band."
Congratulations, Kevin, on a well-suited and distinguished career. The fact that you worked in a laboratory named (SOAR Suite) for nearly three decades may be an indication of your satisfaction in retirement —rock on.
