2017 CRA Distinguished Service and A. Nico Habermann Awardees Announced

Tom Kalil was selected as the 2017 recipient of the CRA Distinguished Service Award for his long history of leading national initiatives that have had transformational impact on the computing research community and as an exemplary spokesperson, advocate, and collaborator for the computing research community.

Tom has served as the National Economic Council’s “point person” on a wide range of science, technology and innovation issues, including the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the Next Generation Internet, liberalization of computer export controls, and education technology.  At the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Tom supervised a team of 19 policy entrepreneurs working science, technology and innovation policy issues such as President Obama’s Strategy for American Innovation, grand challenges, incentive prizes, STEM education, the maker movement, high-growth entrepreneurship, Lab-to-Market, space policy, innovation for global development, R&D funding, insights from the social and behavioral science, and national S&T initiatives in areas such as advanced manufacturing, big data, cyber-physical systems, nanotechnology, robotics, software-defined networks, and synthetic biology.

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Carol Frieze – A. Nico Habermann Award Winner

Director of SCS4ALL and Women@SCS, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)

Carol Frieze was selected as the recipient of the 2017 A. Nico Habermann Award Winner for devoting nearly two decades to promoting diversity and inclusiveness in computing. She has worked with and supported a wide variety of students including women, people with disabilities, and various age groups ranging from K-12 to graduate students.

Carol has contributed valuable research towards understanding the challenges diverse populations face, and in many ways, her research has challenged the existing narrative in the field. And it’s had impact: 48% of computer science majors in the 2016 incoming freshman class at CMU are women, far above the national average. Her work towards improving diversity and inclusion in computing goes well beyond advocacy. Carol has shared her knowledge with others by developing teacher resources, books, and course materials. She also participates in conferences and other programs including CRA-Women’s Collaborative Research Experiences for Undergraduates.

Carol’s nomination letters attest that she played an important role in creating an inclusive environment at CMU, and her research can help others learn best practices and insights to help spread this type of progress beyond her home institution to the entire community.