Purdue researcher to receive early-career presidential award
Demetra C. Evangelou
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A Purdue University researcher will receive a prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
Demetra C. Evangelou, an assistant professor in the School of Engineering Education, is among 94 researchers named as recipients of PECASE, the highest honor given by the U.S. government to science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
"Dr. Evangelou can be counted among a special class of young researchers," said Leah H. Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. "Her work in engineering education strives to shed light on how children are inspired to seek engineering careers later in life and ultimately aims to increase the number and diversity of engineers."
The awards were announced this week by the White House. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education or community outreach.
"I am honored because the award recognizes not only my work, but also the need to better understand how children are influenced to pursue engineering careers," Evangelou said. "Research in this area is going to help us address a global shortage of engineers and the lack of diversity in engineering fields."
Evangelou was among 13 Purdue faculty members to receive a Faculty Early Career Development award in 2009, the National Science Foundation's most prestigious honor for outstanding young researchers.
She is studying how engineering affects human development and how classroom environments influence children from 3-5 years old as they begin thinking about engineering.
Evangelou holds a doctorate and master's degree in education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Northeastern Illinois University.
The federal agencies involved in nominating the award winners include: the NSF; the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The award was established in 1996. Three previous Purdue faculty recipients were Monica Cox in the School of Engineering Education, Douglas Adams in the School of Mechanical Engineering, and Carol Anne Clayson in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Other engineering faculty members to receive the award before joining Purdue are Shirley Dyke, a professor of mechanical and civil engineering, and John Sutherland, a professor of mechanical engineering and head of the Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering.
A date for the awards ceremony has not been announced.
Evangelou is a member of various professional organizations, including the Society for Research in Child Development, the European Early Childhood Research Association, American Educational Research Association, American Society for Engineering Education and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Writer: Emil Venere, 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu
Sources: Demetra Evangelou, 765-494-4158, evangeloud@purdue.edu
Leah H. Jamieson, 765-494-5346, lhj@purdue.edu
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