Jackson State University President Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers was recognized in New Orleans recently for excellence for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research and mentoring.
The National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers named Meyers as winner of the 2014 NOBCChE President’s Award for Excellence in STEM Research and Mentoring.
Dr. Judson Haynes III, NOBCChE president, announced the award, which was presented at NOBCChE’s 41st Annual National Conference on Friday, Sept. 26.
The honor is in recognition of “your excellence in STEM education and steadfast commitment to the development of future scientific leaders,” Haynes told Meyers.
“You represent the best of NOBCChE and administrators who are shaping the scientific, intellectual, and technological future of the 21st century,” Haynes said of JSU’s president.
Earlier this year, under Meyers’ leadership, JSU announced it would offer four new STEM degree programs in its College of Science, Engineering and Technology beginning this semester.
The Institutions of Higher Learning certified two doctorate programs (engineering and computational and data-enabled science and engineering) and two bachelor of science programs (biomedical engineering and statistics).
Statistics indicate there is a growing demand for highly educated engineers with terminal degrees who can either join the workforce or become educators to support the need. Minorities and women have traditionally lagged in STEM enrollment, a trend that national educational leaders have sought to rectify.
Meyers has long been a national leader in promoting STEM programs, including spearheading a National Science Foundation-funded project called JSUAdvance. The $3.5 million, five-year project was designed in 2011 to advance the careers of women faculty in STEM and the Social and Behavioral Science (SBS) disciplines and transform the institutional climate of Jackson State University.
Jackson State was the only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to ever receive a full award from the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE Institutional Transformation program.
Since then, the university has continued to blaze a trail in STEM course offerings and programs.