The board advises and makes recommendations to the secretary of the Army, the chief of staff of the Army, the assistant secretary of the Army, Army staff and commanders on scientific and technological matters of concern.
The board is composed of 100 individuals from industry, academia, non-Department of Defense government agencies and the private sector. Members serve renewable two-year terms.
Members participate in semiannual meetings at selected Army facilities. These meetings allow members to review board activities, become better educated on Army issues and provide advice to local Army managers.
Watson joined ORNL in 1977 as a research associate in the Health and Safety Research Division. The division has since expanded and is now known as the Life Sciences Division, where she currently serves as research staff scientist.
She earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture from Purdue University and a doctorate in the same discipline from the University of Kentucky.
She is a former recipient of the Outstanding Leader and Advocate Award by the East Tennessee Chapter of the Association for Women in Science.
Watson's professional affiliations include Sigma Xi, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of Environmental Professionals.
Her community service work includes membership in Save Our Cumberland Mountains Inc., a citizens' organization of more than 2,000 members who strive to improve the quality of life in rural Tennessee by supporting responsible resource development, air and water quality and fair taxation.
Watson and her husband, Robert Luxmoore, live in Coalfield.
ORNL, one of DOE's multiprogram national research and development facilities, is managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation.