Faces of Technology
Shaping the Future of
Simulation
It’s the late ‘80s. Elizabeth Burch is a recent high
school graduate, watching Madonna’s videos
on MTV and reading about the United States’
fight against communism in newspapers. New
technology emerges and personal computers
are leading the way to introduce the Internet
which, more than anything else, has captivated
Burch’s imagination.
Burch studied computer science at the University
of Central Florida (UCF) and was introduced
to modeling, simulation and training through
UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training, which
opened in 1982 and was still a fairly new center
encouraging local growth of the technology.
The industry trains soldiers, medical professionals,
emergency personnel and others through virtual
reality, re-created, physical environments, life-like
mannequins and more.
She enjoyed building things and being creative
as a child, later finding that she was challenged
to think differently and create better solutions
when surrounded by smarter people. That
mindset drove her during early years of her
career working for industry giants, including
an internship at Martin Marietta (which is now
Lockheed Martin) and working at Science
Applications International Corporation for 16
years, to her current role as president and CEO
of Dignitas Technologies.
Located in Orlando, Dignitas specializes in
simulation training tools for defense industry
clients. “We are passionate about what we
do,” said Burch.