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Dr. Laura Bottomley, director of the K-12 Outreach Programs in the College of Engineering at NC State, has been inducted into the Academy of Women by the YWCA of the Greater Triangle.
The Academy of Women Awards, created in 1983, recognize the achievements of outstanding women in the Triangle who have achieved demonstrable results in working towards the YWCA's mission of empowering women and eliminating racism. Bottomley, who was recognized for her work in science and technology, is among 234 women inducted into the academy over the past 26 years.
Bottomley and her fellow inductees attended a reception at the governor's mansion in October. She was inducted during a dinner and awards ceremony on Nov. 12.
“Dr. Laura J. Bottomley has significantly changed the way in which science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are introduced and taught to children, women and minorities,” the Academy said. “She is a lightning rod of inspiration and guidance for creating new opportunities and career paths for these populations.”
In her role as director of K-12 Outreach Programs for the College, Bottomley reaches more than 5,000 students, 200 teachers and 500 parents each year. The success of these programs has led to such great demand from teachers that Bottomley began training alumni volunteers to give presentations on engineering to K-12 students. Bottomley hopes these efforts will evolve into a statewide network of alumni volunteers who bring engineering into classrooms.
Another program Bottomley oversees, RAMP-UP, places NC State graduate and undergraduate students in local public schools to act as math, science and technology resources. Bottomley also acts as a consultant to the N.C. Dept. of Public Instruction and the Wake County Board of Education.
Bottomley received her bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1984 and 1985, respectively. She received her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from NC State in 1992. She has previously worked at AT&T Bell Labs and Duke University.
-daniel-
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