Photo By David Ellis | Jshuntume (JUN-too-may) McCollough has traveled around the globe as a sensor engineer...... read more read more
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As a kid, Jshuntume (JUN-too-may) McCollough traveled up and down the east coast, stopping at various events and locations to perform African dancing and drumming with his family. Since joining Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), McCollough has traveled the world.
McCollough grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, along with two younger brothers. His mother, Pamela, enjoyed a 30-year career in education. His father, Tyehimba (TY-hēm-bah), was active in sports and worked with at-risk youth. After his football career ended with an NFL opportunity that never panned out, Tyehimba became interested in African dance and eventually joined the KanKouran West African Dance Company in Washington, D.C. “He had me and my brothers drumming and dancing since we were about five years old,” McCollough said. “We formed our own group called the Windows of Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah).
In high school, McCollough, whose first name translates to "everlasting light," excelled in math and science but was unsure of a career direction. While attending a college fair in his hometown, he met a Morgan State University (MSU) representative who encouraged him to look into engineering.
While at MSU, he set out to become an electrical engineer until one of his teachers made him fall in love with physics. “He taught physics in a way that made it seem like easy math to me.” McCollough switched gears and graduated with a bachelor’s in engineering physics. He earned a master’s in optical engineering from Norfolk State University.
McCollough learned about NSWCDD while pursuing opportunities at NSWC Indian Head. "It's kind of a funny story," he said. "After I received my master’s, I moved back to Maryland. I attended a job fair and spoke with representatives from Indian Head. I got an interview at Dahlgren, thinking it might be the headquarters for Indian Head. Come to find out, that wasn’t the case, and I learned that Dahlgren found my name in a stack of resumes.”
Fifteen years later, McCollough has enjoyed a fine career as a lead sensor engineer with NSWCDD. He started working with the electro-optical infrared team (EOIR), supporting multiple test and evaluation (T&E) projects, including working with various seismic and EOIR sensors. In 2019, McCollough expanded his knowledge and expertise of radar operations when he became the sensor and radar lead for the Navy railgun program. As the current sensor lead for the Hypervelocity Gun Weapon System Gun Launched Aerial Defense Interceptor for Advanced Threats and Raids program, McCollough uses his expertise to collaborate with other branches, divisions and departments across NSWCDD as well as the Strategic Capabilities Office and other sponsors.
His work at Dahlgren has taken him worldwide, including Hawaii, Mariana Islands and Germany. McCollough values his experiences working with an international cadre of people and organizations. “Working with people from other cultures has really opened my eyes,” he said. “It’s been exciting and sometimes scary.” One of those scary times came while working in Matamoros, Mexico. “The area is known for drug cartel activity, so there was a large military presence all around us. We had to travel in a heavily protected motorcade.”
McCollough credits his work at NSWCDD for sparking his passion for travel. Pre-pandemic, he visited his wife’s family for Christmas in Liberia, but his favorite spots feature beaches. “I’m definitely more of a Caribbean person. I like islands and beaches. I’ve been to Antigua, Costa Rica and Jamaica.” This past November, he traveled to Cuba with his wife to run the 10k race in the Circuit de Marabana. In the future, McCollough hopes to travel throughout Africa.
In his leisure time, McCollough is big into sports and is an avid fan of his hometown Baltimore Ravens. And while he doesn’t dance as much anymore, he occasionally picks up a drum. “My dad has slowed down a lot, but he still performs every now and then,” he said. “But we got together for his birthday and did some drumming.”
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.12.2023 15:22 |
| Story ID: | 449047 |
| Location: | DAHLGREN, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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