Awardees Recognized for Leadership, Accomplishment, Education, Service

Women in Aerospace (WIA), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, has selected six accomplished women as its 2001 awardees.

At a Sept. 25 ceremony on Capitol Hill, WIA honored the following women with awards in the following categories for this year:

  • Leadership: Carolyn Corvi, Vice President-737 Programs, The Boeing Company, Seattle, WA. Ms. Corvi is the first woman at Boeing to lead an airplane program. She is responsible for the design and production of the Boeing 737 aircraft, and she also is general manager of Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes Group in Renton, WA. Ms. Corvi was unable to attend the awards ceremony but sent a letter of thanks.
  • Outstanding International: Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz, Professor and Director, National Remote Sensing and Space Law Center, University of Mississippi, University, MS. Professor Gabrynowicz is an expert in space law and policy, particularly in the area of remote sensing. Rep. Roger Wicker (R-1st-MS), whose district includes “Ole Miss,” presented this award on behalf of WIA.
  • Lifetime Achievement: Carolyn Griner, Vice President-General Manager, Huntsville Operations, SPACEHAB, Inc., Houston, TX. Ms. Griner recently retired from NASA as Deputy Director of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. Over three decades at NASA, she led the way for women by being first in many management positions. Rep. Robert “Bud” Cramer (R-5-AL), who worked with Ms. Griner throughout her career with NASA, presented this award.
  • K-12 Educator: Teresa Huckleberry, Teacher, Indiana School for the Deaf. Ms. Huckleberry is an innovative educator who participates in NASA education programs. Rep. Sherman Boehlert (R-23-NY), Chairman of the House Science Committee, presented Ms. Huckleberry’s award.

  • Aerospace Educator: Dr. Dava Newman, Associate Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. Professor Newman is leading her department’s attempts to improve teaching methods and incorporate new media in the curriculum. Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-3-MI), a member of the
    House Education and Science Committees, presented this award.
  • Outstanding Achievement: Dr. Pen-Shu Yeh, Group Leader, Advanced Applications, Microelectronics and Signal Processing Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. Dr. Yeh has invented new data compression methods that have improved processing of Hubble Space Telescope images and data from other missions. Rep. Connie Morella (R-8-MD), whose district includes NASA Goddard, presented this award.

    In addition to professional accomplishments, all of the awardees have a record of service to women in their field, through mentoring, community service, and other activities. Awardees were chosen from a pool of nominations submitted to WIA is response to an open solicitation.

    Women in Aerospace (www.womeninaerospace.org) is a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to expanding women’s opportunities for leadership and increasing their visibility in the aerospace community. Any person who supports WIA’s mission and goals is eligible for membership. Previous WIA awardees include U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), U.S. Rep. Constance Morella (R-8-MD), former U.S. Air Force Secretary Sheila Widnall, and NASA astronauts Eileen Collins and Ellen Ochoa.

    For more information, contact:

    Linda Billings, WIA Vice President-Communications

    Ph. 202/488-3500 x. 201

    (photos are available)