AFRL Inspire 2023

Dr. Craig Przybyla, a principal materials engineer and team lead based in the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL’s, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, shares his experience living in Paris, France, with his wife and seven children at the height of the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns in his speech “Doors Were Made to Open” at the 2023 AFRL Inspire event at the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Kenney Hall, Oct. 26, 2023. Przybyla framed this experience as one that taught him how to push through the metaphorical doors that sometimes blocked his way, not just in work but also in life. “Sometimes, those doors are locked, and we have to push through them,” Przybyla said. Through innovative approaches to problem-solving, a willingness to adapt and partnership with others, Przybyla and his family were able to successfully evolve along with their rapidly changing circumstances to tackle a complex set of challenges. Przybyla urged his audience not to allow closed doors to stop them. “Open them,” Przybyla said. “Step into the dark passages and move forward. As you encounter dead ends, don’t be afraid to iterate and try new doors. Along the way you will be more successful if you partner with others. They will have found keys to some of the locked doors or know which doors are most promising.” (U.S. Air Force photo / Cherie Cullen)