The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) has named Dr. Mary Lou Maher, Professor in the Department of Software and Information Systems, College of Computing and Informatics at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, the recipient of the 2023 Harrold and Notkin Research and Graduate Mentoring Award.
NCWIT has also named Dr. Patricia Morreale, a Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Kean University, the recipient of the 2023 NCWIT Joanne McGrath Cohoon Service Award.
The Harrold and Notkin Research and Graduate Mentoring Award is sponsored by the NCWIT Board of Directors and recognizes faculty members from non-profit institutions who distinguish themselves through outstanding research and excellent graduate mentoring, as well as those who recruit, encourage, and promote women and minorities in computing. It is given in memory of Mary Jean Harrold and David Notkin, to honor their outstanding research, graduate mentoring, and diversity contributions.
Dr. Mary Lou Maher earned her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering. at Carnegie Mellon University in 1984, where she also began her career as a professor. She later moved to University of Sydney and started the Bachelor of Design Computing in the Faculty of Architecture. After 4 years as Program Director at NSF in the Human Centered Design Program, she moved to UNC Charlotte to Chair the Department of Software and Information Systems and lead the Center for Education Innovation and the Human Centered Computing Lab. As Department Chair, she mentored faculty to increase research participation, external funding, and innovation in teaching. Dr. Maher has a long history of mentoring diverse students. About half of the 23 Ph.D. students she’s graduated have been women. She’s also encouraged the department to integrate DEI modules into first and second-year courses.
The Joanne McGrath Cohoon Service Award is sponsored by AT&T and honors distinguished educators and staff who have effectively challenged and changed the systems that shape the experiences of women undergraduates in postsecondary computing programs. Award recipients demonstrate exceptional commitment to, and success in, creating long-lasting systemic change that improves the environment for all students who identify as women. The award is given in memory of Dr. Cohoon’s outstanding research and advocacy work to broaden and enrich women’s participation in computing.
Dr. Patricia Morreale earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Illinois Institute of Technology. During her time at Kean University, she has worked tirelessly to create systemic change to broaden participation in computer science, focusing on both faculty development and undergraduate research engagement. Her efforts have had a significant impact on increasing the inclusion of students from historically excluded groups. Dr. Morreale’s leadership positions include membership on NCWIT’s Academic Alliance Advisory Board and the Executive Board of the Computing Alliance for Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI), where she leads the north region. She also serves as a New Jersey State Department of Education Computer Science Advisory Committee member, focusing on NJ K-12 education.
“We’re excited to recognize Dr. Maher and Dr. Morreale for their dedication to making higher ed computing programs more equitable,” said NCWIT Executive Director Terry Hogan. “Their hard work and change leadership efforts are an invaluable asset to the NCWIT community.”
About the NCWIT Academic Alliance:
The NCWIT Academic Alliance comprises more than 650 member organizations, with more than 2,600 individuals representing them. Members receive an exclusive invitation to the annual NCWIT Summit, guidance in applying research-based strategies for creating inclusion, and opportunities to work with faculty, staff, administrators, department heads, and other mentors nationwide to create lasting impact.
About NCWIT:
NCWIT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit chartered in 2004 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that convenes, equips, and unites more than 1,500 change leader organizations nationwide to increase the influential and meaningful participation of girls and women — at the intersections of race/ethnicity, class, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and other historically marginalized identities — in the field of computing, particularly in terms of innovation and development. (https://www.ncwit.org/)
