Five Awards for Aspirations in Computing Presented During Engineers Banquet at OU

NORMAN, Okla. – National, regional and educator awards were presented to Oklahoma high school students and an educator by the National Center for Women and Technology during a banquet held Feb. 25 at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. The banquet culminated a week-long celebration of National Engineers Week at the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering.

The National Center for Women and Technology annually presents national and regional Awards for Aspirations in Computing to high school girls and educators who are interested in computing.

The national winner received a $400 cash prize from the Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, along with the prizes awarded to the regional winners. Regional winners received a $200 award from EPSCoR and a $250 prize from the OU College of Engineering and the School of Computer Science.

Receiving regional awards were:
• Brooke Daugherty, a high school freshman from Gracemont, who hopes to attend

the Oklahoma School of Science and Math and would like to study aeronautical engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy,
• Jessica Hooker, a high school junior from Southwest Covenant Schools in Yukon, who plans to study medicine in college and
• Ashley Arnold, a senior from North High School in Edmond, who plans to study biology in college and has aspirations of becoming a teacher.

Katrina Hammonds, a home school senior from Oklahoma City, received the national award. She plans to study aeronautical engineering or one of several computer science-related fields.

The Aspirations in Computing Educator Award, which comes with $1,000 of professional development funds, went to Debra Smith at Gracemont High School. Smith has taught computer technology for 19 years, the past four at Gracemont. She holds a master’s degree, is a master trainer and also serves as the technology coordinator and chair of the Technology Committee for the district. “I believe it is important to challenge my students and encourage them to exceed beyond their expectations,” said Smith upon receiving the award.

The awards were sponsored by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics, the Bank of Oklahoma and the OU College of Engineering.

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