Distinguished Women Scholars named for 2016

Four Purdue alumnae will be recognized as 2016 Distinguished Women Scholars for their outstanding contributions to their fields and for their leadership.

The Office of the Provost and the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence will honor the recipients at a reception 2 to 4 p.m. March 3 in Purdue Memorial Union's Anniversary Drawing Room. The event is free and open to the public.

The honorees this year are:

* Talya Bauer received her doctorate in business from Purdue in 1994. She is the Cameron Professor of Management at Portland State University and an affiliated faculty member in the psychology department. She conducts research about relationships at work. She researches in the areas of new hire onboarding, recruitment, selection, overqualification, mentoring and leadership for samples ranging from executives, police officers, knowledge workers, retail employees, teachers, health care workers, research scientists, bank employees and nurses in many different countries.

* Tuajuanda Jordan earned her doctorate in biochemistry in 1989. She is the seventh president of St. Mary's College of Maryland. From 2005 to 2011, Jordan was the director of the Science Education Alliance of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Md. As director, Jordan led a collaborative effort designed to have scientists and educators work together to enhance science literacy while preparing the next generation of scientists. She also headlined the National Genomics Research Initiative in 2008, a program that exposes first-year college students to hands-on genomics research.

* Kara Hoffman received her master's in physics in 1992 and a doctorate in high-energy physics in 1998, both from Purdue. She is the principal investigator for the Askaryan Radio Array, which is an innovative and clever approach to enhancing the detection of high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources. She also is a professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.

* Angela McBride, in 1978, was the first graduate of Purdue to receive a doctorate in developmental psychology. She chairs the Indiana University Health Board committee on quality and patient safety. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association’s Division 35 (women’s health) and Division 38 (health psychology) and received the latter’s Outstanding Contributions to Nursing and Health Psychology Award in 1995. That same year, she was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine.

Patrice M. Buzzanell, chair and director of the Butler Center, says, "Our Distinguished Women Scholars are extraordinary role models for Purdue women and men -- embodying what a Purdue education and network can do to provide the foundation for excelling in discovery, learning and engagement. I hope our Purdue community joins our celebration and welcomes these distinguished alumnae back to our campus."

For more information, contact Buzzanell at buzzanel@purdue.edu or 765-494-3317.