West Kingston resident lauded for supporting women in engineering KINGSTON, R.I. — May 8, 2000 — The University of Rhode Island Association for Professional and Academic Women (APAW) has chosen URI Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering G. Faye Boudreaux-Bartels of West Kingston as its 2000 Woman of the Year. The association held a luncheon in Boudreaux-Bartels’ honor on May 4. The award recognizes an individual who has gone beyond job requirements in working for equity for professional and academic women at URI. “Faye is an absolutely superb engineer, researcher and teacher,” said Judith Swift, professor of theatre, faculty assistant to the provost, and emcee at the awards luncheon. “She has done an enormous amount of work as a mentor, especially for women entering the fields of science and engineering. And she is dedicated to the University community as a place where people must have equal opportunities.” In 1984, Boudreaux-Bartels became the first woman hired in URI’s Department of Electrical Engineering. Subsequently, she joined the University’s Women in Science and Engineering group, served as faculty advisor to the Society of Women Engineers, and was appointed associate dean of the graduate school. She has received four URI faculty excellence awards. “As the first woman hired in her department, Faye is a pioneer and role model for other women,” notes Karen Stein, professor of English and a board member of APAW. “She supports other women in science and engineering, and both students and faculty come to her for advice, assistance and moral support. She’s truly an inspiration to women on campus.” In addition to assisting URI students, Boudreaux-Bartels helps girl scouts achieve their science merit badges, works with minority high school students through the SMILE (Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences) Program, and assists young women transitioning from high school to URI’s College of Engineering via the Bridge Program. “Though she’s winning an award as woman of the year,” said Swift, “to me she’s really the person of the year.” A native of Lafayette, La., Boudreaux-Bartels received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and her master and doctorate degrees from Rice University. She received a Fulbright Fellowship for research in France in 1981. Her research interests include digital signal processing, mixed time-frequency representations, digital filter design, and fast algorithms. She has published approximately 100 peer-reviewed articles on her research and has received grants for research or diversity totaling over $1.8 million. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE). # # # For Information: Todd McLeish 874-7892