Special Session
“Preparing tomorrow’s scientists and engineers for the challenges of the 21st century”
Time: Thursday, June 11, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: Park View
Evening Education Session sponsored by IEEE CSS and AACC Technical Committees on Control Education
Bozenna Pasik-Duncan, University of Kansas, Fahmida Chowdhury, NSF
Keynote speaker: Dr. Sonia Ortega, the NSF Graduate- K12 Program Director
This presentation will discuss multiple challenges and opportunities that are presented to young
investigators to prepare for careers in science and engineering. How can research and
education be integrated? How is interdisciplinary research supported? How do graduate
students gain value-added skills while obtaining their degrees? These questions will form the
base for this presentation and will use examples from projects supported from various programs
at the NSF especially in the Division of Graduate Education.
Dr. Sonia Ortega is a Program Director for the Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-
12) Program in the Division of Graduate Education at the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The GK-12 program supports graduate students in science, mathematics and engineering to bring
their scientific research to K-12 classrooms and help graduate students communicate science to
lay audiences. For the last 20 years Dr. Ortega has been at the NSF where she has directed
several large and complex programs. She has been involved in programs that span the gamut of
education levels and disciplines. For postdoctoral support she was program director for the
Postdoctoral Fellowships in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education and
the NSF- NATO Postdoctoral Fellowships. For faculty development she directed the Minority
Research Initiation Program, Presidential Faculty Fellows (PFF) Program, and Faculty Awards
for Women Scientists and Engineers (FAW) Program. She represented NSF at Palmer Station
Antarctica. Prior to coming to NSF, Dr. Ortega was a Research Associate at Duke University
Marine Laboratory where she conducted research in her field of marine ecology. She holds a BS
in Biology from the University of Costa Rica, a Masters in Zoology from Duke University, and a
Ph.D. in Biology from the University of South Carolina. For three years, Dr. Ortega was on
leave from NSF and worked as Director of Education and International Programs at the Long
Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network Office at the University of New Mexico in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Ortega has been enthusiastically involved in many committees
and organizations aimed at increasing the representation of women and minorities in the sciences.
She received the 2008 Distinguished Professional Mentor Award from the Society for the
Advancement of Chicanos, Latinos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). Dr. Ortega is
also a private pilot and is involved in The 99s, an International Organization of Women Pilots
focused on bringing more women into flying.
Dr. Ortega has extensive knowledge of science and engineering research and education policies
and has represented NSF at national and international science and education meetings.
This session is open to all participants of the ACC in particular to the members of Women in Control
Group and Graduate Students as well as to Invited Teachers from local high schools .
The Control Education Committees believe that these groups can benefit significantly from this important
session with the major goal to engage faculty, graduate students and teachers in engineering and science
research. The panel discussion will follow with participation of the invited NSF G-K12 Fellows from the
University of Kansas.
Light supper will be served.