Bottomley named N&O’s Tar Heel of the Week

Dr. Laura Bottomley, director of the Engineering Place outreach program at North Carolina State University, has been named “Tar Heel of the Week” by the News & Observer.

The story appeared in the March 4 edition of the Raleigh newspaper, which has run the feature honoring North Carolinians every week for 62 years.

“Bottomley, an NC State University professor, has made a specialty of breaking down barriers in her 15 years leading outreach efforts for the College of Engineering,” the story said. “She works with children as young as elementary school, trains their teachers, and has helped form state and national education policy. Her work has earned her many honors, including a trip to the White House to receive a mentoring award.”
As director of The Engineering Place outreach programs at NC State, Bottomley encourages young students to get involved with engineering education. Her programs reach more than 5,000 students, 200 teachers and 500 parents each year.

Bottomley’s honors include the 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. She received the award at a ceremony at the White House.

Last week, Bottomley guided members of the Raleigh Girl’s Club through a program designed to get more women interested in engineering and technological innovation. The event was part of Time Warner Cable “Wouldn’t It Be Cool If . . . ” campaign to encourage youth involvement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and received coverage from WRAL.