PACK POINTS
Faculty Highlights
Bottomley wins Presidential Award
The White House announced in July that Dr. Laura Bottomley, director of the Engineering Place at NC State, has won a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
The award honors the crucial role that mentoring plays in the academic and personal development of students studying science or engineering and who belong to groups that are underrepresented in those fields. Bottomley was one of 22 individuals and organizations honored by President Barack Obama for excellence in mentoring.
In addition to being honored at a ceremony at the White House this fall, recipients receive awards of $10,000 to advance their mentoring efforts.
As director of the Engineering Place, Bottomley helps bring engineering
to life for thousands of students, teachers and parents across the state.
She also directs NC State’s Women in Engineering program, which
works to boost the number of women engineers in academia and industry,
and acts as a consultant to the N.C. Dept. of Public Instruction and
Wake County Public Schools. 
Zikry named Jefferson Science Fellow
Dr. Mohammed Zikry, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, was selected as a Jefferson Science Fellow by the U.S. Department of State.
Zikry was one of seven national science, technology and engineering experts chosen for the one-year assignment to advise the Secretary of State on issues related to science and technology. He began his one-year appointment in September 2008 and will continue to serve as a consultant to the department after completing his initial assignment.
“This an incredible opportunity to bring science and technology to the forefront, as far as the decisions that are made—decisions that can have a significant national and international impact,” said Zikry, who has taught at NC State since 1990.
Zikry is a leading expert in computational modeling of systems, fracture
mechanics, plasticity, functional nano and micro device design and experimental
mechanics.