NOTE: Effective February 2008, this award is no longer offered by AAUW.
2007 - Misty Sailors
Assistant Professor of Literacy Education, University of Texas at San Antonio
In only four years as faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Dr. Misty Sailors has demonstrated exemplary teaching, outstanding research and a commitment to women students. She is having far reaching impact as an educator and has secured more than $4 million in grant funding –rare for such a young scholar. Dr. Sailors has demonstrated extreme competency in the field of literacy at the local, national, and international levels. She received a grant for an international project to impact instruction in South African classrooms and also produce more than 600,000 culturally relevant textbooks. An exceptionally strong scholar, Dr. Sailors publishes research in top journals and presents at prestigious conferences on the topic of literacy teacher education. At the same time, she remains focused on the practitioner level, preparing the next generation of dedicated teachers to work with inner-city, multicultural populations. Dr. Sailors received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin, after nine years as a public elementary school teacher.
2006 - Beth Coleman
Assistant Professor of Writing and New Media, Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies and Comparative Media Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Beth Coleman has been active in teaching both women and girls about media tools. She leads by example through workshops and discussions during her international touring and work for museums. In the world of music, she has advanced young electronic musicians in their DJ skills through classes for elementary school age girls. Currently, she also serves as a member of the MIT Steering Committee for the Program in Women’s Studies, which chooses a select few to represent their opinions and thoughts on the campus community.
She co-founded the SoundLab Cultural Alchemy in 1995 a multimedia platform for musicians, artists, and media developers for performance, installation, and events. Her work is oriented toward continued contributions to the academic field through the theory and application of new media forms, and marrying the interdisciplinary fields of science and culture. Presently, her research investigates historical ideas about race and technology. Dr. Coleman is a professor, a media consultant, developer of academic conferences on media and communication issues and the author of two up and coming books entitled Race and Technology and Real Time: game play in digital work. She is well accomplished with over a dozen publications, and has received several awards and fellowships for her work. Dr. Coleman has opened up the world of media to a new generation. Dr. Beth Coleman received her bachelor’s degree in literature from Yale University in 1991 and completed her Ph.D in comparative literature from New York University in 2004.
2005 - Mihri Ozkan
Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Riverside
Mihri Ozkan has been instrumental in building an interdisciplinary research and education program in engineering and the sciences there. Her research projects involve new technologies for nanotechnology and its application in biology and engineering. She has written one book and co-authored four book chapters and 24 journal articles. She is the inventor or co-inventor on 12 patents. Her colleagues expect her to become an international expert in the field of nanotechnology. Ozkan earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of California, San Diego in 2001, a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford University in 1994, a master’s degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1991, and a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, in 1988.
2004 - Lisa M. Diamond
Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Lisa Diamond researches female sexual identity development. Her interest began in graduate school, where she was disheartened to find that practically all research on psychological development among nonheterosexual adolescents had been conducted with exclusively male samples. Diamond has authored or coauthored 31 refereed journal articles and book chapters, and she has four manuscripts under review. A longstanding community activist, she trains advocates in the Salt Lake City area to conduct gay/lesbian/bisexual youth support groups. She earned a doctorate in human development from Cornell University.
2003 - Linda K. Weavers
Assistant Professor of Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Linda Weavers researches the basic science and applications of sonochemistry (the study of reactions in or near collapsing bubbles) and advanced oxidation processes to the purification of drinking water, wastewater, and hazardous wastes. Her research provides the basis for effective and efficient modeling of complex environmental processes and water treatment technologies. Weavers has published seven papers, and more than a dozen institutions have awarded her approximately $6.2 million in research funding since 1998. She earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota and master’s and doctorate degrees in environmental engineering from the California Institute of Technology.
2002 - Ramani S. Durvasula,
Assistant Professor of Psychology, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Ramani Durvasula has achieved an outstanding record of professional accomplishments in assessing neuropsychological factors of HIV/AIDS with a focus on ethnic minorities. She also has conducted community-based health psychology research with women in Los Angeles and is establishing a research program examining health behaviors and wellness. She is widely published in respected peer-reviewed journals and committed to mentoring students as developing researchers and professionals. She earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
2001 - Melissa Gross,
Assistant Professor of Library and Information Studies, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Formerly a children’s librarian, Melissa Gross already has established an extraordinary record of scholarship, teaching, and service. Her innovative research illuminates children’s information-seeking in libraries. In 2000 she was invited to hold a one-day workshop for all children’s librarians employed in the Chicago library system, and she won a major research grant to study children’s use of computers in public libraries. She received her doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1998.
2000 - Mary Ann Levine,
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Mary Ann Levine is recognized for the quality and breadth of her scholarship, as well as for her dedication to extending that scholarship through teaching and community activity. Her innovative research on the archaeology of Northeastern Native Americans counters prevailing stereotypes about the complexity of their trade and lives in prehistoric times. She also has recovered the forgotten history of women’s contributions to the origins of archaeology, dating back to the mid-19th century.
1999 - Martha McCaughey,
Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies and Adjunct Professor Sociology/Science and Technology Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
Martha McCaughey’s innovative research and teaching combine the study of science and technology, race and gender, popular culture, and the human body. McCaughey’s 1997 book Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women’s Self-Defense focused attention on antiviolence issues, while challenging myths about women and their bodies. She energetically applies her research to social action on behalf of women on campus, in the classroom, and in the community.
1998 - Gwendolyn Audrey Foster,
Assistant Professor of English, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
Gwendolyn Foster has reclaimed the work of women film directors. Her 1992 documentary on the film of forgotten women directors is internationally recognized. Her publications include an encyclopedia of more than 200 women film directors — a standard reference in the field — and a book highlighting the film careers of women of color. A filmmaker, activist, and feminist teacher, she is a role model and tireless mentor to students.
1997 - Patricia Sommers,
Associate Professor of Higher Education and Adjunct Professor of Nursing, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas
At the time of her award, Patricia Sommers was the only woman to have been accepted by her university to pursue a doctorate in higher education. She is conducting research on the social construction of gender in the Middle East and comparing systems of higher education in the region.
1996 - Jean M. O’Brien,
Assistant Professor of History, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jean O’Brien teaches in the departments of history, American Indian studies, and American studies. Her groundbreaking work, using documents overlooked by previous researchers, focuses on the role of Native Americans during colonialism. She holds a doctorate in history from the University of Chicago.
1995 - Erin Margaret Schuman,
Assistant Professor of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
Erin Schuman has spent 13 years prior to this award researching how the brain acquires and stores information. Her studies are forging the way toward treatment of memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and attention deficit disorder. While at CalTech, she teaches and mentors girls pursuing careers in biology. She holds a doctorate in neuroscience from Princeton University.
1994 - Wendy Dimbero Graham,
Assistant Professor of Agricultural Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Wendy Graham is an internationally recognized leader in groundwater research, focusing on protecting Florida’s fragile water resources. She also mentors women and girls, both at the undergraduate and secondary school levels, and works to create a more supportive campus environment for women scientists.
1993 - Julia Kornfield, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
Julia Kornfield conducts internationally recognized research on polymers, the chemical compounds making up plastic wrap, Band-Aids, and bullet-proof shields. She is also devoted to encouraging girls in her community. She mentors young women in science and trains K–6 teachers to use hands-on kits in science classes.
1992 - Jill S. Dolan,
Assistant Professor of Theatre, Drama, and Women’s Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Jill Dolan has done pioneering work in feminist theater criticism and theory. A sought-after lecturer on the subject of combining feminist performance theory and practice, Dolan was a founding editor of the Women and Performance Journal, the first quarterly for feminist theater studies. Her book, The Feminist Spectator as Critic, won the Emily Toth Award from the Women’s Caucus of the Popular Culture Association.
1991 - Marion Gail Weiss,
Assistant Professor of Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
One of her colleagues describes Marion Weiss as “a unique teacher/practitioner who emphasizes the dependent relation of theory grounded in practice and practice inspired by theory.” Weiss and her partner in architectural design won first price in two major competitions, first for their design of the “Women in Military Service for America Memorial and Education Center” at Arlington National Cemetery (1989) and second, for their urban design study of New York City’s government center and city hall (1990).
1990 - Laura Phillips, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
1989 - Marianne Phinney, Assistant Professor of Language and Linguistics, University of Texas, El Paso, Texas
1988 - Sylvia T. Ceyer, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
1987 - Carolyn Heising, Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts
1986 - Maureen O’Hara, Associate Professor of Finance, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
1985 - Susan Mates, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
1984 - Marta Tienda, Professor of Rural Sociology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
1983 - Lee E. Limbird, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
1982 - Phyllis Jo Baunach, Correctional Research Specialist, National Institute of Justice, Washington, D.C.
1981 - Benita Katzenellenbogen, Associate Professor of Physiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
1980 - Sandra Bem, Associate Professor of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
1979 - Bennetta Jules-Rosette, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of California, La Jolla, California
1978 - Martine Watson Brownley, Assistant Professor of English, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
1977 - Sarah Woodin, Associate Professor of Marine Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
1976 - Donna E. Shalala, Associate Professor of Politics and Education, Columbia University, New York, New York
1975 - Edna Bonacich, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, California
1974 - Donella H. Meadows, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
1973 - Susan M. Hartman, Associate Professor of History, University of Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri
1972 - Mary Eva Swigar, Assistant Professor, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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