Stephanie Adams Honored by Black Engineers Society

Lincoln, Neb., March 1, 2004 -- The National Society of Black Engineers, the largest student-managed organization in the country dedicated to raising the profile of African American engineers, announced its 2004 Golden Torch Awards. Among the honorees is Stephanie G. Adams, assistant professor of industrial and management systems engineering and interim associate dean of graduate studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Adams earned the Janice A. Lumpkin Educator of the Year award.

These awards, presented annually at the NSBE national convention, celebrate the accomplishments of individuals, corporations, and academic institutions that espouse the organization's mission to "increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community." The Golden Torch Award Ceremony is March 18 as part of the 30th annual NSBE convention in Dallas.

"As in past years, the Golden Torch Awards are NSBE's way of honoring and expressing its gratitude for the past and future accomplishments of our awardees, while also paving a path for young, aspiring black engineers to navigate toward their own personal and professional success," said Michele Lezama, NSBE executive director.

A member of the Nebraska faculty since 1998, Adams has been an integral part of efforts in the College of Engineering and Technology and in the university as a whole to recruit minority and women students. Adams' efforts have gone far beyond what is required of a classroom teacher or an administrator, volunteering her time to programs such as Women Interested in Engineering, which introduces young women to the college and engineering; MESA, which works with minority students interested in the sciences; Bright Lights, a program that introduces young people to science and engineering; and the UNL Admissions Office on such events and Minority Recruiting Day.

In addition, she has been instrumental in helping students re-establish a chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers on campus and travels the country to attract minority and women graduate students to UNL, paying particular attention to historically black colleges and universities in the South. She earned her bachelor's degree at North Carolina A&T State University (1989), her master's at the University of Virginia (1991) and her doctorate at Texas A&M University (1998).

The National Society of Black Engineers is the premier organization serving African Americans in engineering and technology. With 15,000 members and more than 300 chapters, NSBE supports and promotes the aspirations of university and pre- college students and technical professionals. The Web site is www.nsbe.org.

CONTACT: Stephanie Adams, Asst. Professor, Industrial & Management Systems Engineering, (402) 472-6051