Dresselhaus, Mildred S.
Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus' career combines research accomplishments at the highest level with sustained leadership, advocacy and service on behalf of the engineering and science professions. A voice for national competitiveness and security, she served as director of the Office of Science in the U.S. Department of Energy from 2000 to 2001.
One of 12 institute professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she has taught since 1967, Dr. Dresselhaus also directed the MIT Center for Materials Science and Engineering from 1977 to 1983. Her research has been at the forefront of advances in carbon materials science, and her peers call her work on carbon nanotubes among the most exciting in nanoscale development.
Since the mid-1970s, Dr. Dresselhaus has campaigned to improve women's access to careers in technology and science. Her 1975 article 'Some Personal Views on Engineering Education for Women' (IEEE Transactions on Education) remains both valuable and relevant. Serving as a role model, she has mentored, formally and informally, countless young women at MIT and around the world.
An IEEE Life Fellow, Dr. Dresselhaus is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences. She chairs the governing board of the American Institute of Physics and has served as treasurer of the National Academy of Sciences and as president of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Her numerous awards include a Fulbright fellowship and the U.S. National Medal of Science.
Dr. Dresselhaus was awarded the 2004 IEEE Founders Medal "For leadership across many fields of science and engineering through research and education, and for exceptional and unique contributions to the profession."
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