U.S. Army civilian chemist inspired to protect

Photo By Bethani Crouch | Sabrina White, a U.S. Army Chemical Materials Activity Chemist at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., has more than 30 years of civil service. She says she wants to make a difference in ways of protecting the Warfighter and the world. (U.S. Army photo by Bethani Crouch)  

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD, UNITED STATES

02.23.2018

Story by Sarah Jacobs 

Army Chemical Materials Activity

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- Sabrina White has spent more than three decades in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field in a role she describes as a “protector.”

“In working for the U.S. Army, I wanted to make a difference, especially in ways of protecting the Warfighter and the world,” White said.

White’s father, who served in the U.S. Army for more than 20 years, influenced her decision to work as an Army civilian employee. She spent 22 years as a chemist, analyzing products purchased by the Army to ensure they performed as required. For the past 15 years, White has worked for the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Activity (CMA).

CMA supports Army modernization and Soldier readiness through the safe, secure storage of the nation’s two remaining chemical weapon stockpiles at Pueblo Chemical Depot, Colorado, and Blue Grass Army Depot, Kentucky, and the assessment and destruction of recovered chemical warfare materiel. As a member of the Monitoring Team in the Risk Management Office, White analyzes data for scientific validity and accuracy, mitigating the risk of release of chemical materiel and personnel exposure.

Born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, White spent much of her childhood in Baltimore. She became interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field at Western High School, when her father paid a visit to her school. “My chemistry teacher told him how well I was doing in chemistry class,” White said. “She suggested to my father that I should major in chemistry in college.” When her father passed along her teacher’s suggestion, “that was all it took.”

White identifies her parents as the most inspirational figures in her life. “They always believed in me and always told me I can do anything,” she said. But White also drew inspiration from Dr. L. Pearl Brown, who was her physical chemistry professor and senior advisor at Morgan State University in Baltimore. White credits her with “reminding me of all the great things that happened in the chemistry field that made a difference in the world.”

She said working in the STEM field is especially rewarding because her work protects Soldiers, civilian employees, the public and the environment.

White notes that African-Americans have been in the defense industry since before the founding of the United States.

“Starting with the Boston Massacre, before the Revolutionary War, Crispus Attucks, a free man of color, was among the first patriots to fall protecting American ideals,” she said. “My work is a great opportunity to protect the ideals America stands for in protecting all her people.”

For more information on CMA, visit https://www.cma.army.mil

• Date Taken: 02.23.2018
• Date Posted: 02.23.2018 09:51
• Story ID: 266940
• Location: ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD, US
• Hometown: ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD, US
• Hometown: BALTIMORE, MD, US
• Hometown: FAIRFAX, VA, US
• Hometown: FORT BELVOIR, VA, US