Melville, NY The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) has named the recipients of its annual awards program. The program recognizes innovators and leaders who are supporting the enrichment and advancement of women in the engineering community from industry to education. SWE award recipients include professionals and collegiates from influential businesses, corporations and universities across the globe.
This year’s SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award went to 10 recipients, among which was H2M architects + engineers Stephanie DeCotiis, P.E., from the H2M Howell, N.J. office.The award honors women engineers who have been actively engaged in engineering in the first 10 years of their careers.
The full list of winners include:
Maria Ceciliade Castro Breda, John Deere
Stephanie Chin, Intel Corporation
Stephanie DeCotiis, P.E., H2M architects + engineers
Jenna Harpole, John Deere
Cassi Janakos, Healthy Horizons
Melissa Peskin, P.E., Dominion Voltage, Inc.
Sadaf Qazi, Raytheon
Erika D. Rodriguez, Ph.D., Jacobs Technology at NASA Ames Research Center
Kate Hull, Spire Consulting Group, LLC
Jennifer Tullai, GE Transportation
“The men and women recognized this year have made significant contributions to the engineering community,” said Jonna Gerken, president of SWE. “They are leaders, inspiring the current and future generation of STEM professionals, and paving the way to empowerment for women engineers everywhere.”
This year’s award recipients will be recognized at WE17, the world’s largest conference and career fair for women engineers, Oct. 26-28, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The conference gathers over 11,000 professional and collegiate men and women for professional development, education and networking.
H2M extends its congratulations to all the SWE winners for 2017. The awards recipients are as follows:
Achievement Award - The highest award given by SWE, bestowed for an outstanding technical contribution for at least 20 years in the field of engineering.
Frances H. Arnold, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology
Advocating Women in Engineering Award - Honors individuals who have demonstrated professional excellence in their chosen STEM fields and have proven to be an advocate of women in engineering and SWE’s objectives.
Andrew Alleyne, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Imelda G. Castro, Intel Corporation
Heidi Millard Kenkel, John Deere
Corlis D. Murray, Abbott
Cynthia S. Reid, P.E., LORD Corporation
Distinguished Engineering Educator Award - Presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to the engineering profession through education.
Deborah J. O’Bannon, P.E., Ph.D., F.SWE, F.ASCE, University of Missouri - Kansas City
Distinguished Service Award - Recognizes a SWE member or associate member who has made a significant contribution(s) to SWE for at least 20 years, especially at the local and regional levels or on Society-level committees.
Susan Thomas Schlett, Sikorsky Aircraft/Trinity College
Janet Williams, F.SWE, Sandia National Laboratories
Emerging Leader Award - Honors individuals who have been actively engaged in an engineering or technology profession, and have demonstrated outstanding technical excellence as an individual resulting in significant accomplishments.
Nikki Bishop, Siemens
Erin M. Carroll, Intel Corporation
Jill A. Entner, Torrance Refining Company, LLC, a subsidiary of PBF Energy Inc.
Kelly D. Hahn, Sandia National Laboratories
Christine M. Predaina, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Jennifer Reich, Honeywell Aerospace
Moushumi Shome, The Boeing Company
Shannon Vittur, Medtronic
Justyna Zander, Ph.D., NVIDIA Corporation
Kira Zdunek, Caterpillar Inc.
Fellow Grade - Honor conferred on SWE members in recognition of continuous service to the advancement of women in the engineering profession.
Cecilia (Ceal) D. Craig, Ph.D., Druai Education Research
Jude Garzolini, Boise State University
Kim O’Rourke, The Boeing Company
Global Leadership Award - Honors an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the field of engineering and/or technical management in an international setting.
Maryann Combs, General Motors
Karen Ramsey-Idem, Ph.D., Cummins Inc.
Liz Ruetsch, BSEE, MBA, Keysight Technologies
Global Team Leadership Award - Presented to a team with women in technical leadership roles that meet or exceed project objectives while demonstrating innovative thinking to overcome global challenges.
Intel Global Water Conservation Team led by Irina Belozerova, Ph.D., Intel Corporation
Outstanding Collegiate Member Award - Bestowed upon SWE collegiate members who have made an outstanding contribution to SWE, the engineering community and their campus.
Erin Baumgartner, Chico State University
Paige Bowling, Colorado School of Mines
Kelsey A. Harper, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Emily E. Hoffman, Ph.D., Northwestern University
Iris Jing, The University of Texas at Austin
Genevieve A. Kane, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Jeannie Marshall, The University of Alabama
Catherine Martsolf, EIT, LEED GA, Temple University
Holly McTaggart, University of Louisville
Sarah Watzman, The Ohio State University
Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award - Celebrates an outstanding contribution by a SWE advisor to a SWE collegiate section.
Diane L. Peters, P.E., Ph.D., F.SWE, Kettering University
Outstanding SWE Counselor Award - Bestowed upon a member who has made an outstanding contribution to a SWE collegiate section as a Counselor.
Casey Waggy, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation
Prism Award - Recognizes an individual who has charted her own path in the STEM fields by demonstrating a variety of outstanding career leadership activities in a technical field, as well as leadership in professional organizations and the community.
Joan Chinnery, P.E., The Boeing Company
Lisa Depew, McAfee
Colleen M. Layman, P.E., HDR, Inc.
Leslie M. Phinney, Ph.D. Sandia National Laboratories
Anna Prakash, Ph.D., Intel Corporation
Resnik Challenger Medal Award - Established in 1986 to honor SWE’s Dr. Judith A. Resnik, NASA Mission Specialist on the ill-fated Challenger space shuttle flight on January 28, 1986. Acknowledges a specific engineering breakthrough or achievement that has expanded the horizons of space exploration.
Terri Taylor, Honeywell Aerospace
Rodney D. Chipp Memorial Award - Celebrates the work of a man or company who has made a significant contribution to the acceptance and advancement of women in engineering.
Mark W. Albers, ExxonMobil Corporation
Doug Roberts, John Deere
Spark Award - Honors an individual who has contributed to the advancement of women by mentoring those around them.
Marie S. Cole, IBM Corporation
Mary Driver, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Beverly Louie, Ph.D., University of Colorado - Boulder
Lynn Mortensen, Raytheon Company (Retired)
Heather Savage-Erickson, Medtronic
Suzanne Jenniches Upward Mobility Award - Celebrating an individual’s rise to success and contribution to the decision-making process within their organization.
Denise Johnson, Caterpillar Inc.
SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award - Honors women engineers who have been actively engaged in engineering in the first 10 years of their careers.
Maria Ceciliade Castro Breda, John Deere
Stephanie W. Chin, Intel Corporation
Stephanie DeCotiis, P.E., H2M architects + engineers
Jenna Harpole, John Deere
Cassi Janakos, Healthy Horizons
Melissa Peskin, P.E., Dominion Voltage, Inc.
Sadaf Qazi, Raytheon
Erika D. Rodriguez, Ph.D., Jacobs Technology at NASA Ames Research Center
Kate Hull, Spire Consulting Group, LLC
Jennifer Tullai, GE Transportation
Work/Life Integration Award - Celebrates an individual who has worked to create programs that help women engineers and other employees balance the commitments of career, life and family.
Cindy Hoover, Spirit AeroSystems