Distinguished Engineering Alumnus
Award Recipient
Anna Clyde Fraker — 2003
This distinguished alumna was the first woman to receive a doctorate in engineering from NC State University. She received her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Furman University in 1957 and began her career at NC State's Department of Engineering Research. When she received her master's degree in metallurgical engineering in 1961, she became the first woman at NC State to receive an advanced degree in engineering.
During 1962-63 she pursued studies at the Institut fur Allgemeine Metallkunde und Metallphysik, Technische Hochschule in Aachen, Germany. After receiving her PhD in ceramic engineering in 1967, she worked at the National Bureau of Standards — now the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) — until 1996 as a research metallurgist. During her years with NIST, she actively promoted the careers of students and other scientists, especially women and minorities.
A native of Greeneville, Tennessee, she is acknowledged as a leader in the field of biomaterials. Her honors include the US Department of Commerce Bronze Medal in 1984 and election as Fellow of the American Society for Metals, ASM International, in 1993.
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Also awarded in 2003
Anna Clyde Fraker