Name: Edwin Trinh
Work location: El Segundo, CA
Years of impact at Booz Allen: 1 year
For Edwin Trinh, an early fascination with information technology (IT) and an interest in networking and cyber led him to a career where he travels globally to track and collect positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) data. In his role at Booz Allen, Edwin works on the maritime cyber testbed known as Tactical Reconfigurable Underway Demonstration Interface (affectionately called TRUDI). By collecting and analyzing data from ship sensors, Edwin and his team enable operators to stay safe from cyber attacks.
What does it take to safeguard vessels from cyber threats? We spoke to Edwin about creating his career path and how he is making an impact through PNT.
How did you get started in your field?
I’ve always been known as the go-to IT person among family and friends. Early in my childhood, I was interested in how servers and computers were put together. In college, my curiosity about technology increased when I was introduced to networking and cyber. I completed my first two certifications within a few months of starting at Booz Allen and then decided to move towards a more IT networking-focused role. Leadership has supported me in every way.
What projects are you working on at Booz Allen?
I have supported numerous demos with TRUDI. Occasionally I travel to collect PNT data from ships. For example, I helped set up TRUDI to collect GPS, heading, automatic identification system, and weather data on a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, and travelled to install electronics onboard a vessel in Guam.
I also help my team gather data from the actual ship sensors as well. This is done by using computers and a bunch of serial to USB cables. There were multiple points of connection throughout the vessel as it was a research vessel. The connection point is a hub for all sensor data before it gets passed to the captain and electronic chart plotter.
Why did you choose Booz Allen?
Booz Allen has been very supportive with my continuing education, including my certifications in Security+ and Cisco’s Certified Entry Networking Technician. The firm has provided me with time to study and now that I am working on Cisco’s Certified Network Associate certification, we are getting a boot camp training in the office. No matter what certification I want to get, Booz Allen and my team have provided me with support and countless resources.
