I met Mary Ann during my first years as a fellow of the DOE CSGF program. Among our many interactions, I especially recall one of the first conversations we had at the yearly CSGF conference where, despite having been away from her research for several years, she managed to clearly and passionately explain her PhD thesis work on Bose-Einstein condensation. I remember being very surprised at the depth and breath of her interests in science, and most importantly, became aware of how deeply she cares about the many issues facing STEM education. One of her first missions at the CSGF program became that of improving collaboration and connectivity among the fellows and their respective communities. For instance, among her many accomplishments, she managed to create an opportunity for CSGF fellows to participate and present at the prestigious Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Conference, an experience that was absolutely invaluable to many of the fellows, especially those who were in their early stages of their careers. As an active member of the higher education and scientific communities, I can say without reservations that people with Mary Ann’s commitment and background, both as a scientist and a manager, are at a premium, and are especially poised to make a big impact on STEM education.
Menu