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Gwendolyn Boyd Honored with ASME Fitzroy Medal at ASME Foundation Gala Event

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Sustainability and Equity in Engineering are Focus of VIP Event  

WASHINGTON (May 2, 2023) — The engineering community recently honored Gwendolyn E. Boyd, former president of Alabama State University and retired engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, for her outstanding service to the engineering profession with the presentation of the Fitzroy Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) at an ASME Foundation gala event held Thursday evening, April 27, in Washington.

“Dr. Boyd exemplifies the highest standards in engineering achievement,” says ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile. “Her extraordinary advocacy for increased diversity and inclusion in technical fields is reshaping the future of engineering.”

The Nancy DeLoye Fitzroy and Roland V. Fitzroy Medal, established in 2011, recognizes pioneering contributions to the frontiers of engineering that have led to a breakthrough in existing technology, or to new applications or new areas of engineering endeavor. Boyd is a renowned mechanical engineer and a widely respected advocate of STEM education. During her more than three decades at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, she was a leader in the development and operation of critical national security systems. She served on and later chaired the University’s Diversity Leadership Council. After leaving JHUAPL, she was named the first woman president of Alabama State University, where she graduated summa cum laude. Boyd was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as a trustee of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in 2009. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Alabama State University with a major in mathematics and a double minor in physics and music. She received a fellowship and was the first African American female to earn a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University. She holds both M.Div. and D.Min. degrees from Howard University.

The award presentation was the centerpiece of the ASME Foundation’s “Reinventing the Future” event which drew more than 240 attendees to the historic Willard InterContinental hotel on April 27. Mo Rocca, an Emmy-winning correspondent for “CBS Sunday Morning” and host of “Innovation Nation” on CBS, served as master of ceremonies, introducing Costabile, ASME Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Viola, and a lineup of special guest speakers including:

Attendees also included current and prospective donors to The ASME Foundation’s Campaign for Next Generation Engineers, ASME’s five-year, $50 million capital campaign to support its philanthropic work. The Foundation funds ASME’s array of high-impact programs in education, workforce development, and innovation support aimed at increasing equity in the engineering profession and advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Event sponsors included campaign champions ComEd and Autodesk, sponsors Ansys, Aronsoncare, MedStar Health, National Renewable Energy Lab, PSM, and Keith and Brownie Roe, and donors to the Dr. Gwendolyn E. Boyd Endowed Scholarship Fund for Equity in Engineering.

“We believe equity in engineering is a moral imperative. We also know that diversity drives innovation. Equity and sustainability are connected in profound ways,” says Viola. “Through support for the ASME Foundation, we’re working to open doors to both. Together, we are advancing a diverse and equitable engineering community, inspired, and equipped to innovate a sustainable future for everyone.

About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. In 2020, ASME formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community, and later established the holding company, Global Knowledge Solutions LLC. In 2021, ASME launched a second for-profit subsidiary, Metrix Connect LLC, an industry events and content platform to accelerate Additive Manufacturing in the engineering community. For more information, visit www.asme.org.

About the ASME Foundation
The ASME Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, supporting an array of programs in three core pillars: engineering education, career engagement, and global development. With the goal of empowering tomorrow's technical workforce, the ASME Foundation advances equitable access both to professional opportunities and to engineering innovations that improve quality of life. For more information, visit  www.asmefoundation.org.

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Pictured above, left to right, are Master of Ceremonies Mo Rocca, Maryland’s Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, ASME Fitzroy Medal recipient Gwendolyn Boyd, ASME President Karen Ohland, and ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile.

 

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Pictured above, left to right, are: ASME Director of Engineering Sustainable Development Iana Aranda, Keith Roe, former president of ASME, current chair of the philanthropy committee, and event sponsor, and 2020 ASME ISHOW USA winner and ReNuble Co-founder Tinia Pina.

 

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Pictured above, left to right, are: ASME Foundation Board of Directors Member and Morgan State University Dean of Engineering Oscar Barton, Jr., Ph.D., P.E., ASME Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Viola, 2021 ASME Engineering for Change Fellow Sahar Shamsi, Calvin Mackie, Ph.D., founder and president of STEM NOLA, and his son Miles Mackie, Howard University student.

 

Media Contact:
Monica Shovlin
MCShovlin Communications LLC (for ASME)
monica@mcshovlin.com
+1.541.554.3796