Syuhaida Binti Ismail Receives Women in Engineering Award
Syuhaida Binti Ismail, Ph.D., has received the 2024 Women in Engineering Award from the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, or WFEO, in partnership with GREE Electric Appliances. She is an associate professor at the University of Technology Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur and the director of research at the Maritime Institute of Malaysia. Dr. Ismail’s work was showcased at the UNESCO World Engineering Day 2025 celebrations held March 4, in Paris.
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The WFEO award recognizes women engineers across the globe for their outstanding achievements in engineering, academia, or business leadership. This year, the organization received more than 24 nominations from 15 countries, reflecting the global commitment to advancing gender equity in engineering. WFEO is the global organization for the engineering profession founded under the auspices of UNESCO.
Dr. Ismail also received the Malaysia Board of Technologists Woman Leadership Award, the Woman Engineer Award by The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia, where she serves as the chair of Women Engineers, and the APEC-Australia Women in Research Fellowship award. She advocates for STEM education among schoolchildren and champions initiatives to empower and inspire the next generation of women engineers.
In her interview with the University of Technology Malaysia on receiving the WFEO award, Dr. Ismail said, “In regions where opportunities for women in STEM are still evolving, this award sends a strong message that excellence, innovation, and determination transcend geographical and societal barriers. I hope this recognition inspires more women in engineering to step forward, claim their space, and shape the future of the engineering field.”
Smith, Feyereisen Elected to National Academy of Engineering
Alice E. Smith, Ph.D., a 1991 graduate in engineering management from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and Thea Feyereisen, distinguished technical fellow for Honeywell’s Aerospace Advanced Technology organization and 2023 Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award recipient, are among two of 128 new members and 22 international members elected to the National Academy of Engineering, or NAE, this year.
NAE selected Dr. Smith for her advancements in computational intelligence applied to the modeling and optimization of complex systems. She is a distinguished professor of industrial and systems engineering at Auburn University in Alabama. Previously, she served on the faculty of industrial engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, which she joined after industrial experience with Southwestern Bell Corp. Dr. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Rice University in Houston and an MBA at Saint Louis University.
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NAE selected Feyereisen for her work in cockpit innovations, including synthetic vision systems, runway overrun awareness systems, and moving maps. She has worked with Honeywell for almost three decades. She heads Honeywell’s Flight Deck Collaborative Decision Making program, a research project with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration. Feyereisen earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical studies and a master’s degree in aeronautical science human factors, both at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
The newly elected class of NAE members brings the total U.S. membership to 2,487 and international members to 336. All new members will be formally inducted during the NAE annual meeting Oct. 5 in Washington, D.C. Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer from business, academia, and/or government.
Society of Fire Protection Engineers Approves New Leadership
Amanda Kimball, P.E., executive director of the Fire Protection Research Foundation, the National Fire Protection Association research affiliate, is the 2025 president of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, or SFPE. A member of SFPE for more than 20 years, she has served on the board and several committees during her membership.
Kimball’s experience includes fire protection engineering consulting with expertise in building code life safety analyses, design of fire protection systems, fire and egress modeling of buildings and subway stations, and risk analysis. Her expertise was vital as chair of a working group that developed the research roadmap for fire protection engineering, now serving as a critical guide for the foundation’s projects.
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Shamim Rashid-Sumar, P.E., is SFPE’s president-elect and will begin her term as president in January 2026. She serves as senior vice president of fire codes and standards for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, or NRMCA. She brings more than two decades of professional experience and has been involved with SFPE through that time.
Rashid-Sumar works with national model building codes and international standards organizations to advocate for resilience and sustainability in the built environment. She also provides technical support regarding codes, standards, regulations, and legislation at the national, state, and local levels.
SFPE is the world’s leading professional society representing fire protection and fire safety engineering specialists. Established in 1950, the organization has more than 5,000 members and 120 chapters globally.
Physics Professor Recognized for Mentoring in STEM
Donna Stokes, Ph.D., a physics professor at the University of Houston, or UH, has received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, or PAESMEM. The White House honor is among the nation’s highest for outstanding mentoring in STEM disciplines, awarded to scholars, scientists, educators, and researchers.
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PAESMEM honors are presented annually to individuals and organizations. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy selects recipients. Awardees receive $10,000 and an opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., to attend professional development events. Dr. Stokes is among 336 honorees recognized by the Biden administration earlier this year.
Along with her role as a professor, Dr. Stokes has served the department of physics and UH’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics as physics faculty undergraduate academic advisor and associate dean for undergraduate affairs and student success. She earned a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in physics at UH and is committed to improving physics and STEM student success. Dr. Stokes also mentors future STEM educators through teachHouston, the college’s STEM teacher preparation program.
She has received several awards recognizing her efforts, including the UH Teaching Excellence Awards, the 2023 UH Honors College Outstanding Fellowship Mentorship Award, and the 2011 UH Provost Academic Advising and Mentoring Award. Dr. Stokes has received a National Science Foundation Career Award and a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associateship Award.
Mary-Claire King Receives NAS Public Welfare Medal
Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., has been awarded the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal for her pioneering genetic research and its transformative application to human rights. The medal is the academy’s most prestigious award, established in 1914 and presented annually to honor the extraordinary use of science for the public good. Dr. King has been the American Cancer Society Professor in the departments of medicine and genome sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle since 1995.
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Dr. King’s use of mitochondrial DNA has led to the identification and reunification of 138 families so far who were victims of Argentina’s “Dirty War” during the 1970s and 1980s. Her groundbreaking work has advanced forensic genetics globally and illustrated the power of science in promoting justice and public welfare. She is also credited with establishing the National Bank of Genetic Data in Argentina, the first institution to systematically preserve genetic information for future identifications.
Dr. King is also known for her discovery in 1990 of BRCA1, mutations that significantly increase a woman’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. The discovery has revolutionized the understanding of cancer genetics and led to advances in cancer prevention and treatment. She has made key contributions to understanding schizophrenia, helping uncover the molecular underpinnings of the condition by integrating genomics with neuroscience.
Dr. King has received numerous awards and honors, including the National Medal of Science in 2016. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 1994 and the National Academy of Sciences in 2005.
JPL Research and Instrument Scientist Among 2025 SPIE Fellows
Sona Hosseini, Ph.D., a research and instrument scientist for the Planetary Science Section of the California Institute of Technology’s NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is among 47 members announced as new fellows of SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics. Fellows are honored for their significant scientific and technical contributions in the multidisciplinary fields of optics, photonics, and imaging.
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In her current role, Dr. Hosseini studies low-density gas environments in the solar system and beyond, conceptualizing innovative technology to enable novel fundamental measurements in future NASA missions. She received NASA’s 2022 Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship award and the 2020 Early Career Achievement Award from SPIE.
Dr. Hosseini is a member of the lab’s Small Bodies group, a collaboration of multiple research teams focusing on the solar system’s small and primitive bodies, such as asteroids and comets. She earned a bachelor’s and a master’s in physics and astronomy at the University of Zanjan, Iran. She is credited with pioneering sky brightness measurements for Iran’s national observatory sites. She holds a master’s and a Ph.D. in engineering applied science from the University of California, Davis.
New SPIE fellows are acknowledged during the SPIE symposium of their choice during the year. The society brings together engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals to advance light-based science and technology. It has invested more than $25 million in the last five years in the international optics community.
Mariette Awad Receives Shoman Award for Arab Researchers
Mariette Awad, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at American University of Beirut, or AUB, received the 2024 Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers in Engineering and Technological Sciences. She is also the director of the artificial intelligence, data science, and computing hub at AUB. The award honors exceptional scientific achievements contributing to societal development and progress. Recipients receive $20,000.
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Dr. Awad was recognized for her work in computational modeling and data analysis, and her impact on scientific research throughout the Arab region. She received the 2024 Intissar Ahdab award for women’s excellence and impact in research and is the author of Efficient Learning Machines: Theories, Concepts, and Applications for Engineers and System Designers. Dr. Awad was recognized among the top 2% of influential scholars for 2022 by Stanford University.
She is a co-organizer and ambassador for the AUB Women in Data Science Conference, a community for women scholars and professionals in the field since its launch in 2017. Dr. Awad earned a bachelor’s in electrical engineering at American University of Beirut, Lebanon; a master’s in electrical engineering at State University of New York, Binghamton; and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at University of Vermont.
The Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation established the Shoman Award in 1982. The nonprofit advocates for science and scholars in the Arab world. Awards are presented in six primary fields: medical and health sciences, engineering and technology sciences, basic sciences, humanitarian, social and educational sciences, economics and administration sciences, and water, energy, and food sciences.
Sandra Boetcher Receives ASHRAE’s E.K. Campbell Award of Merit
Sandra Boetcher, Ph.D., a professor and research fellow at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, received the E.K. Campbell Award of Merit from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE. The award recognizes her outstanding service and achievement in teaching. The award has been presented by the Society’s Life Members Club since 1958. Awardees receive a $10,000 honorarium and plaque.
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Dr. Boetcher is also a lab director at the Thermal Systems Laboratory at Embry-Riddle, which provides resources and facilities for students, faculty, researchers, and industry to conduct research in the applications, storage, energy harvesting, and development of thermal management technologies for propulsion and electronics devices.
Prior to Embry-Riddle, she was a founding faculty member of the department of mechanical and energy engineering at the University of North Texas and worked for companies such as Honeywell, 3M, and Donaldson Co. Dr. Boetcher earned a bachelor’s, a master’s, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota. She was also the recipient of ASHRAE’s Presidential Award of Excellence.
