Engineering

Corri Zoli is a postdoctorate research fellow and program manager for the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program at the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. Her Ph.D. in cultural studies is from the Department of English at Syracuse University, she has a Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Women's Studies, and she is in the process of completing a policy-focused M.A. in international relations from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Her research has focused on women and gender in institutions, the history of science and technology in relation to society, diversity and globalization, and the role of culture and identity in international relations, including security studies. Her policy interests include higher education, science and technology law and policy, the social and cultural impact of identity and diversity, and gender and conflict in the international context. She has several publications in these areas and has received awards for her writing and teaching. Shobha K. Bhatia is Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith professor and professor of civil and environmental engineering at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. She has made significant contributions to both engineering research and engineering education. Her engineering research has focused on the application of geosynthetics and natural materials in waste containment, road and building construction, and erosion control. She has more than 80 publications; has received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), and many other private organizations; has participated in national and international conferences; and has served in numerous capacities, such as vice president of the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), member of the Technical Coordination Council (TCC), and member of the International Activity Council of the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). She has also been extensively involved in engineering education. She is codirector of the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) initiative at Syracuse University. She has also been part of national initiatives to increase the number of women in leadership positions in academia through her projects funded from the NSF ADVANCE program. She played an important role in the NSF-funded Engineering Education Scholar Program, which was designed to prepare young faculty for academic careers. She is also the recipient of a NSF Faculty Achievement Award for Women for excellence in research and leadership in training future engineers and has received several national and international awards, including the International Network for Engineering Education and Research (iNEER) Award for Excellence in Fostering Sustained and Unique Collaborations in International Research and Education. Valerie Davidson is the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Hewlett-Packard Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (Ontario) and professor of biological engineering at the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. She has made significant contributions to both engineering research (in the areas of food science) and engineering education. As NSERC/HP Chair, she has undertaken such initiatives as encouraging girls in elementary and secondary schools to study science and engineering (S&E) and consider careers in these areas, improving retention of women in undergraduate and graduate programs and early careers related to S&E, and developing a provincial network to help women make informed decisions to pursue S&E from early education to postsecondary programs to early careers, including academic careers. In her research, Valerie has established a strong interdisciplinary program in food and biological engineering, with an emphasis on the applicationsof fuzzy mathematics and statistical methods to process control and decision-support systems. From 1990 to 1992, Valerie served as a member of the Canadian Committee on Women in Engineering. In 2002, she was a corecipient of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) Award for Support of Women in Engineering, an award that recognizes noteworthy support of women in the engineering profession and engineering excellence. In addition, she is an active member of the Women in Engineering Leadership Institute (WELI). Kelly Rusch is the associate dean of Women and Minorities and the Formosa Plastics Associate Professor of civil and environmental engineering at Louisiana State University (LSU). From 2000 to 2006, she was also the director of the Institute for Ecological Infrastructure Engineering at LSU. Her research interests include continuous growth/process control technology development for aquaculture production systems, water quality management and modeling of surface waters and aquaculture systems, wastewater treatment using natural wetlands, and industrial waste stabilization. She has numerous projects and an extensive number of articles on these and related subjects, and she has been the recipient of multiple federally funded grants in these areas. Additionally, she has made significant contributions to engineering education and to advancing the representation and participation of women and minorities in science and engineering. She has received the LSU Distinguished Faculty Award for a sustained record of excellence in teaching, research, and service and the Louisiana Engineering Foundation (LEF) Faculty Professionalism Award in 2005. She is also the recipient of an Achievement Award from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at LSU in 2002. She has been an active member of the Women in Engineering Leadership Institute (WELI).