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Recent honors and grants to 91̽»¨ individuals and units have come from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the Marconi Society — and the White House.

White House honors 91̽»¨engineering professor, associate dean Eve Riskin

Eve Riskin, professor and associate dean in the  91̽»¨College of Engineering, has been named a recipient of a 2019 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Eve Riskin

, professor and associate dean in the 91̽»¨College of Engineering, has been named a recipient of a 2019 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

The White House in science, mathematics and engineering on Aug. 3. There were 15 recipients of the mentoring award — 12 individuals and three organizations, representing 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Riskin also is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the College of Engineering’s . She is the faculty director of the UW’s , where she works on mentoring and leadership development programs for women faculty in STEM areas.

The White House established the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, or PAESMEM, in 1995; the award is administered by the National Science Foundation on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology. Each recipient receives a $10,000 award and a commemorative presidential certificate.

Previous of this award include in 2016, in 2009, in 2004, in 2003, the Women in Engineering Initiative (WIE) in 1998 and the UW-based Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking and Technology (DO-IT) program in 1997.

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National Science Foundation renews grant for 91̽»¨Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity

The National Science Foundation has renewed a three-year grant for the  91̽»¨Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity, totaling $376, 535. The grant is aimed at bringing change and greater inclusion to engineering and computer science. Cara Margherio, a research scientist in sociology, is principal investigator on the grant with Elizabeth Litzler, affiliate assistant professor of sociology. Litzler directs the center and Margherio is assistant director.
Cara Margherio

The National Science Foundation has renewed a three-year grant for the , totaling $376, 535. The grant is aimed at bringing change and greater inclusion to engineering and computer science.

, a research scientist in sociology, is principal investigator on the grant with , affiliate assistant professor of sociology. Litzler directs the center and Margherio is assistant director.

The National Science Foundation has renewed a three-year grant for the  91̽»¨Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity, totaling $376, 535. The grant is aimed at bringing change and greater inclusion to engineering and computer science. Cara Margherio, a research scientist in sociology, is principal investigator on the grant with Elizabeth Litzler, affiliate assistant professor of sociology. Litzler directs the center and Margherio is assistant director.
Elizabeth Litzler

The 91̽»¨Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity conducts its research in tandem with the Making Academic Change Happen team at the , in Terra Haute, Indiana, which received $243,560 from the NSF. The 91̽»¨center works with recipients of NSF “ grants working to broaden participation in engineering, improve student outcomes and build more inclusive educational environments.

The project team is called Revolutionizing Engineering Departments Participatory Action Research, or REDPAR for short. Read a from the project that tells more about its research agenda, and a .

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Kenneth Mugwanya of global health and team awarded $3 million by National Institutes of Health to study HIV prevention in Kenya

, a 91̽»¨assistant professor of global health and public health, and his team have been awarded a five-year, $3 million grant by the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Kenneth Mugwanya, a  91̽»¨assistant professor of global health and public health, and his team have been awarded a five-year, $3 million grant by the National Institutes of Health.
Kenneth Mugwanya

The grant is for Mugwanya and the team to study the effectiveness of integrating methods of HIV prevention into sexual and reproductive health services for women in Kenya.

“Ensuring that young women seeking access to effective contraceptive methods in Kenya specifically, and Africa in general, are also able to protect themselves from HIV is critical for women empowerment and ending the HIV epidemic,” said Mugwanya, who is a physician-epidemiologist by training.

“Our hope is that providing family planning and HIV prevention services in a one-stop location will minimize barriers that women face in accessing HIV prevention services, including lack of time, cost and potential stigma of visiting a facility solely for HIV prevention.”

Other members of Mugwanya’s research team are , , , , and , all of the Department of Global Health, which is part of the 91̽»¨School of Medicine and the School of Public Health.

Read more at the School of Public Health .

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Doctoral student Vikram Iyer honored by Marconi Society

Vikram Iyer, a  91̽»¨doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering, has been named one of three recipients of the 2020 Paul Baran Young Scholar Award by the Marconi Society.
Vikram Iyer

, a 91̽»¨doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering, has been named one of three recipients of the by the Marconi Society.

The society is a nonprofit group named for Italian inventor and electrical engineer (1874-1937) and “celebrates, inspires and connects innovators building tomorrow’s technologies in service of a digitally inclusive world.” Iyer works in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering’s .

The society’s Paul Baran Young Scholar Awards, named for a computer engineer and developer, recognize young scientists and engineers who show great capability as well as the potential to bring about digital inclusivity.

The Marconi Society honored Iyer for “creativity in developing bio-inspired and bio-integrative wireless sensor systems.” Iyer’s contributions, the society writes, “enable traditionally stationary Internet of Things devices to move, putting a new and scalable category of data collectors into the world to help us understand our environment at scale and with a fine degree of detail.”