GMiS Celebrates Women's Accomplishments Through Open Nominations

    MONTEREY PARK, CA, March 27, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In celebration of Women's History Month, Great Minds in STEMTM (GMiS) especially seeks nominations of technically-talented female engineers and scientists for its 25th Anniversary HENAAC Awards. These prestigious, peer-reviewed awards are presented to outstanding Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) professionals who demonstrate high-caliber technical talent and a strong commitment to the Hispanic community.

The complete class of 2013 HENAAC honorees will be presented during the 25th Anniversary HENAAC Conference, to be held in New Orleans, LA, from October 3-5, 2013. Among the 25th Anniversary Host Sponsors are Lockheed Martin Corporation and The Boeing Company.

To date, GMiS has recognized over 170 outstanding professional females. This includes six women to its highly selective and elite HENAAC Hall of Fame:
- Dr. Ellen Ochoa (Director, NASA Johnson Space Center and former astronaut)
- Linda Garcia Cubero (Among the first class of women to graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the first Latina to graduate from any service academy)
- Susan Pacheco (Director, Global Advanced Product Marketing, Ford Motor Company)
- Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintron (Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, UTMB-Galveston)
- Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff (Chief Scientific Officer at CytonomeST and world-renowned molecular biologist)
- Dr. Cristina Amon (Dean, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto and member of the National Academy of Engineering)

"I receive[d] an award that is very special to me, as a Hispanic woman and as a scientist," states Monserrate Roman, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Chief Microbiologist and the 2012 HENAAC Award recipient for Outstanding Technical Achievement - Government. "Since I was in elementary school, I remember being in love with science. I remember how much I enjoyed the science classes and I remember teachers that foster[ed] my interest in science."

Nominations are evaluated based on a rigorous peer-review process that GMiS has refined over the years.

The nomination deadline is May 20, 2013. More information, including the guidelines, is available at www.greatmindsinstem.org or by contacting Kathy Borunda Barrera, Manager, Recognition Programs, at (323) 262-0997, ext. 300 or via email to [email protected].

About Great Minds in STEMTM
Great Minds in STEMTM is an education, national 501c3 nonprofit, whose vision is to be a national leader in keeping America technologically strong by promoting science, technology, engineering and math careers especially in underserved communities. Now, in its 24th year, it remains the only national entity, which has consistently recognized the esteemed technical achievements of Hispanic role models through a selective, peer-reviewed process that honors the top-technical talent in a Hall of Fame. Please visit www.greatmindsinstem.org.

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