Dean of the Thayer School of Engineering Elsa Garmire is one of three appointees to the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science.
Garmire, who has been dean of the Thayer School for one year, joins professors from Stanford University and Yale University on the Committee that will National Medal of Science recipients in November.
"The medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to science and engineering," according to the Valley News.
Garmire said she believes recipients of the award receive "just a medal."
"I don't think there's money involved," she said. "I think the prestige makes up for it."
Garmire said she received her appointment to the committee last week and is unsure how long her appointment to the committee will last.
"I assume it's for one year," she said. "Nobody told me."
"It's a formal appointment from the President and I had to go through a background check," Garmire said, although she said she did not need to undergo a grueling investigation.
"Since it's not a paid appointment, it's not the same kind of a background check as a Supreme Court justice" would undergo, she said.
Garmire said she feels her appointment demonstrates that she has "achieved sufficient visibility through being the dean here at the Thayer School."
She said she thinks she owes her appointment to her research background as well as to her position at the Thayer School.
"I think it's fair to say I'm the first woman dean of engineering who is also a renowned researcher in her own right," she said.
One of Garmire's colleagues attested to her talent.
"She's obviously an extremely accomplished scientist and recognized for her leadership in the scientific committee," Professor of Engineering Keith Paulson said.
Garmire said the preliminary assessments of candidates for the medal were conducted through the Internet.
Information about the candidates was posted on the Internet, and using a password, Garmire voted on prospective Medal winners.
In the first stage, there were three categories of candidates: "extremely well qualified, well qualified and not qualified," she said, and the committee eliminated all but the extremely well qualified candidates.
"Now we're in the second stage," Garmire said.
"We're going to meet in November to hash out which of the extremely well qualified" candidates will receive the award, Garmire said. "The people who are selected will presumably get their award around January."
She added her appointment did not catch her by surprise.
"I've actually known about this for a while, but I wasn't supposed to tell anybody," Garmire said, explaining that she was notified of her appointment to the committee with "a call from the assistant science adviser to the President."
