BRAC brings husband & wife scientists to Wright-Patt

  • Published
  • By Elizabeth Long
  • 711th Human Performance Wing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The Base Realignment and Closure directives that are bringing more jobs and new facilities here is becoming more evident as scientists, engineers and other professionals have begun relocating to the base from Brooks City-Base, Texas and Mesa, Ariz.

Dr. Christopher W. Myers and Dr. Tiffany Jastrzembski, who are husband and wife, are among the first to move from Mesa to Wright-Patt. The couple work as cognitive scientists with the Air Force Research Laboratory, 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, Warfighter Readiness Research Division, Cognitive Models & Agents Branch. The Division is relocating its entire operation here.

Dr. Myers and Dr. Jastrzembski are excited about their move and are looking forward to putting down roots in the Dayton area.

"There are a lot of reasons that we chose to relocate to Wright-Patt," Dr. Jastrzembski said. "The primary reason is that we love what we do. Chris and I are both cognitive scientists and in our unique situation of being husband and wife, it is difficult for us to find jobs that are co-located in our field."

Dr. Myers added, "The lab in which we are working is one of the top in its field in terms of cognitive modeling, which is our primary field of research. There are not that many organizations in the world that have as many cognitive modelers in one place working on similar projects. Having that knowledge base is very attractive to us."

The couple also has personal reasons for relocating to Ohio.

"We really like the small-town feel of the Dayton area," Dr. Jastrzembski explained. "It has a lot to offer. People are very friendly and the school system in which we reside is great."

Dr. Myers and Dr. Jastrzembski learned about the Dayton area in part from Dayton Development Coalition representatives who visited Mesa to provide personnel with information about the area's communities and amenities.

"I think the most useful way we learned about the region was when we came up here for a couple of days to explore it ourselves," Dr. Jastrzembski said. "When we were looking at a house we met some of the neighbors and just talking to them was extremely informative because they told us about the strong sense of community in our neighborhood. Those were big selling points for us - we wanted to live in a friendly neighborhood with a great school system."

The couple said their move from Mesa to the Dayton area went smoothly and they appreciate all the assistance from the U.S. Air Force at both ends of the relocation.

"They were flexible in accommodating our needs," Dr. Myers said. "They really took care of our personal needs and in helping us through some special circumstances surrounding the relocation. Thanks to the Air Force, our move was practically stress free."