Gabriel Adams

How did you come into your current role?

After obtaining my bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science and computer engineering, respectively, I joined the Laboratory as a contingent worker in the Embedded and Open Systems Group. I was then offered a full-time staff position in 2022. I help develop and maintain my group's Common Open Architecture Radar Programs (COARPs)-compliant radar processor on the Laboratory's Airborne Radar Testbed (ARTB). The COARPs specification is meant to enable radar subsystems acquisition, processor hardware refresh, and third-party technology insertion. I started out on the subsystem command and control side and have more recently been working on real-time implementations of radar algorithms. The Laboratory's academic nature and rapid prototyping activities make it a really engaging and exciting place to work.

What is one career achievement that stands out to you?

I was the lead developer of an Open Mission Systems (OMS) COARPs Adapter. This piece of software was a critical part of a U.S. Air Forces in Europe demonstration, which involved using OMS to task the ARTB from a ground station in Germany. It was my first time leading the development of a project of this scale. That software eventually was recommended as the government reference architecture for the OMS COARPs Adapter.

When did you become interested in computer science?

I was fortunate to have access to my own computer at an early age, so I learned a lot just by tinkering. In my freshman year of high school, I took an Intro to Java course and knew soon afterward that I wanted to study computer science in college.

If you could bring any technology into existence, what would it be and why?

Teleportation, for sure. I have spent enough time in traffic on the Pike and working around Red Line issues to choose anything else!