We invite our members to send in their honors, promotions, awards, etc. to be posted here. Please email items to mary.phelps@swe.org.
- Karen Horton, a University of Maine associate professor of mechanical engineering technology, joined a group from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at a recent event at the White House that recognized local leaders in the effort to recruit and retain girls and women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
- Jenna Carpenter, associate dean for the College of Engineering and Science and the Wayne and Juanita Spinks Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Louisiana Tech University, will be honored at the White House for her efforts in advancing women in STEM.
- Deb O’Bannon, P.E., F.ASCE, F.SWE was promoted to full professor in the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
- Chris S. Anderson of Michigan Technological University was awarded the WEPAN University Change Agent Award at the national WEPAN conference in Bellevue, Washington on June 22, 2011.
- Mary Leigh Wolfe was named Head of the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech, effective June 1, 2011.
- Kristin Constant was promoted to full professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University.
- Cindy Waters recently moved from adjunct faculty to Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina A & T State University.
- Effective August 2011, Susan M. Blanchard Ph.D., new ASEE Fellow, is promoted from Founding Director to Founding Dean of the U.A. Whitaker School of Engineering at Florida Gulf Coast University.
- Glenda P. LaRue was elected 2011-12 President of WEPAN; Paige E. Smith is the President-elect of WEPAN for the upcoming year.
- Adrienne R. Minerick received the 2011 Ray Fahein Award from the ASEE ChE Dvision.
- Mary Phelps recently completed her MAT in Technology Education at North Carolina A&T, and has been admitted to the Ph.D. program in Occupational and Technical Studies in the STEM Education and Professional Studies department at Old Dominion University. Additionally, she will be awarded Fellow grade at the 2011 Society of Women Engineers conference in October.
- ExxonMobil and the National Society of Black Engineers Inaugural Impact Award recognizes the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity, under the direction of Bevlee A. Watford, at Virginia Tech for their success in retention of under-represented students. The Impact Award was created by ExxonMobil and NSBE in recognition that under-represented minorities together make up just 10 percent of Americans working in the science and engineering field. This number would need to triple to match the share of minorities in the U.S. population. Underlining the need for retention is the fact that about 60 percent of African Americans who start STEM degrees change their major.Following an extensive nationwide search that produced a diverse pool of more than 100 qualified applicants, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Karan L. Watson was appointed today by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents to serve in that position at the flagship campus on a permanent basis. Watson, who also holds the title of Regents Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has held increasingly responsible leadership positions at Texas A&M since joining the faculty in 1983. She served as vice provost for strategic initiatives from 2008 until 2009, and dean of faculties and associate provost from 2002 until 2009. Before assuming the position of dean of faculties and associate provost, Watson held the position of associate dean for graduate studies in Texas A&M’s Dwight Look College of Engineering. She also served the college as associate dean for academic affairs and as a member of the Faculty Senate. She served as interim vice president and associate provost for diversity, a role that she held twice, in 2005 and again in 2009. More info here.
- Dr. Amanie Abdelmessih, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Thermal Engineering Laboratory has been elected as Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Saint Martin's University. She started her duties as chair at the beginning of January 2011. Dr. Abdelmessih is the first woman chair for an Engineering department at Saint Martin's University. This is not her only first: she was also the first woman Ph.D. from her department, the first woman engineer in the paper mill she worked at, and the first woman engineer in her family. Dr. Abdelmessih is the SWE advisor to the Saint Martin's SWE collegiate section., and she was the recipient of the 2009 SWE Distinguished Educator Award. More info here.
- Jane M. Fraser, from Colorado State University, Pueblo, was the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Industrial Engineering Division of ASEE. Award is here (lower right corner of page 2).
- Tau Beta Pi recently announced Donna S. Reese, professor and interim head of the university's department of computer science and engineering, is the recipient of the 2010 McDonald Mentor Award. Press Release here.
- The Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech is the recipient of the 2010 Claire Felbinger Award from ABET. The Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity is presented to recognize U.S.-based educational units, individuals, associations, and firms for extraordinary success in achieving diversity and inclusiveness or for facilitating diversity and inclusiveness in the technological segments of our society. Bev Watford will be attending the November ABET Annual Meeting in Baltimore to receive this award.
Press Release here.
- HI-TEC 2010 Innovative Program Award Presented to Florida Advanced Technological Education (FLATE) Center of Excellence. Press Release here. Our Center websites are www.fl-ate.org and www.madeinflorida.org
- Dr. Bevlee A. Watford, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs Director, Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech was elected fellow of ASEE in 2010.
- Dr. Mara H. Wasburn, in the College of Technology at Purdue University was promoted to full professor.
- Dr. Kim Bigelow, Assistant Professor at University of Dayton since January 2009 was selected as the ASEE WIED Apprentice Educator Grant recipient.
- Dr. Kauser Jahan, Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University will be receiving the Sharon Keillor Award for Women in Engineering Education at the ASEE National Conference 2010. She exemplifies the requirements for the award including her passion for teaching and research as well as outreach to women and underrepresented groups in engineering. She is a leader and innovator in the area of curriculum development and has become a nationally and internationally known expert in teaching. She has a superb record in the integration of undergraduate research that promotes intellectual development of students and quality mentoring into her teaching activities. She has spear headed several outreach efforts in the College of Engineering including Attracting Women into Engineering (AWE), a workshop for middle school girls that have been in existence since 1999, Engineering Clinic for teachers (ECT) and Engineers on Wheels. These outreach efforts have impacted countless middle school and high school students either directly or through ECT and has had a tremendous impact on informing students of engineering as a career.
- The Women in Engineering Division's 2009 Denice Denton best paper award authors were just published in the Journal of Engineering Education. Their work is titled, "Gender Differences in Elements of the Undergraduate Experience that Influence Satisfaction with the Engineering Major and the Intent to Pursue Engineering as a Career" by CATHERINE T. AMELINK and ELIZABETH G. CREAMER.
- Congratulations to Donna Michalek who has just been appointed the Founding Chair of Engineering and Director of Mechanical Engineering at Mount Union College. Mount Union College is a private institution located in Alliance, Ohio and will become the University of Mount Union on August 1. Mount Union plans to build on its strong reputation in liberal arts when it begins offering degrees in Mechanical and Civil Engineering. Donna will be leading that effort by directing the curriculum development and faculty hiring efforts.
- Nancy Denton, professor and associate department head of MET at Purdue University, was recently elected as the first Academic Director on the Vibration Institute. She will serve on the Institute’s Board of Directors from 2010-2015.
- On Friday, October 16, 2009 at Long Beach California, SWE awarded Amanie N. Abdelmessih, Ph.D. the Distinguished Engineering Educator. More details here.
- Kathy V Tarnai-Lokhorst, P.Eng. BASc MBA was elected Chair of Education Council for Camosun College, a legislated body with a mandate to ensure high quality of curriculum at the college (info here), reporting directly to the board of governors on behalf of the educational team at Camosun.
- JULIE M TRENOR from Clemson University earned a NSF CAREER Award (click here).
- Paige E. Smith from the University of Maryland earned WEPANs 2009 Distinguished Service Award (click here).
- Professor Patricia Maurice of the Dept. of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame (IN) has a new textbook out on Environmental Surfaces and Interfaces from the Nanoscale to the Global Scale (click here).
- Dr. Deborah Walter and Dr. Carlotta Berry at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology recently received an NSF S-STEM grant. The ROSE-BUD (Rose Building Undergraduate Diversity) program scholarship program will enroll the first students in fall 2010 (click here).
- Laura Bottomley (Director, Women in Engineering and K-12 Outreach Programs North Carolina State University, YWCA Academy of Women wins Presidential Award for Excellence (click here) for contributions to eliminating racism and empowering women in science and technology
- Lori Bruce Promoted to Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Mississippi State University
- Elaine Cooney (Professor) Appointed Engineering Technology Department Head, Indiana University-Purdue University
- Ruth Davis (Robert W. Peters Prof. of Computer Engineering, & Assoc. Dean for Undergraduate Engineering, Santa Clara University): 2009 Alumna of the Year, Acad. of Our Lady of Peace High School
- Jacqueline El-Sayed (Professor of Mechanical Engineering & director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Kettering University) 2008-2009 American Council on Education Fellow
- Adrienne Minerick Promoted to Associate Professor and Tenured, Chemical Engineering. Mississippi State University
- Maria Petrie (Assoc. Dean for Academic and International Affairs, & Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Florida Atlantic University) (1) Elected Vice President for the Americas and appointed First Vice President of IFEES (International Federation of Engineering Education Societies) (2) Elected Vice Chair of the OAS (Organization of American States) Advisory Board for Engineering for the Americas (EftA) Will be awarded the Service Award for ASEE International Division at this conference. (3) Awarded the Pillar of Service Medal of LACCEÌ(Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions)
- Cheryl Schrader (Dean, College of Engineering Boise State University) 2008 Hewlett-Packard/Harriett B. Rigas Award, Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Education Society for significant contributions to electrical and computer engineering education
- Noel Schulz Promoted to Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mississippi State University
- Beth Todd (Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering) SWE Award for Outstanding Faculty Advisor, Univ. of Alabama
- Julie Trenor (Engineering and Science Education, Clemson University) Elected President of WEPAN, effective July 1.
- Karinna M. Vernaza (1) Promoted to Associate Professor, Mechanical Eng., Gannon Univ. (2) 2008 Minority Achiever Award, Minority Opinion magazine
- Sandra Yost Promoted to Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Detroit Mercy