The Liberal Education Division of the American Society for Engineering Education is honored to present the 2006 Sterling Olmsted Award to Dr. Rachelle Hollander, the long time Director of the Societal Dimensions of Engineering, Science and Technology program at the U.S. National Science Foundation. The award recognizes Dr. Hollander’s many contributions to the education of engineering students as an advocate of ethical and value concerns in engineering education, as a frequent contributor to the literature, and as an active participant in many professional organizations.
Dr. Hollander received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Goucher College in 1965, where she was initiated into Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in philosophy at the University of Maryland in 1975 and 1979. Her dissertation, directed by Samuel Gorovitz, was on “Medical Services and Informed Consent.” She joined the National Science Foundation in 1975, where she remained until her retirement in April 2006, with the exception of visiting appointments in the Science and Technology Studies Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic University and the Department of History of Science, Medicine, and Technology at Johns Hopkins University.
During her career at the NSF Dr. Hollander has served in a variety of positions, including being instrumental in developing the fields of engineering ethics and ethics and risk management. Perhaps most significant have been her efforts to develop Foundation-wide programs which involve integration of technical research with societal issues, including her instrumental role in coordinating nanoscale research with social and behavioral questions, as well as initiation of the ethics education in science and engineering program, involving six different NSF directorates. She has also been the most visible public voice in representing the Foundation’s interests in integrating technical and societal issues in a large variety of professional and public forums.
Dr. Hollander has continued her professional activities throughout her career. She has published over three dozen papers in professional journals and books and given numerous conference presentations, especially on citizen involvement in science policy and applied professional and research ethics. She was elected to Fellow grade of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and served on the Council of the Society for the Social Studies of Science. On her retirement she was recognized by special activities of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and the AAAS.
Dr. Hollander is a model of an individual who enhances the role of liberal education in engineering education. For her lifelong contributions to bridging the gap between the liberal arts and the professions, the Liberal Education Division is honored to celebrate her as the 2006 recipient of its highest honor, the Sterling Olmsted Award.
Respectfully submitted,
John Krupczak
LED Chair, 2005-06
NavigationThis page is maintained by Steve VanderLeest. It was last modified on 24-Jun-2006 .