Presidential Award goes to UCI professor

Christine Carrillo

Helping young minds find a path that will lead them to the world of

engineering, professor Martha Mecartney’s mentoring efforts have

gained her presidential acclaim.

The White House announced Friday that President Bush selected

Mecartney, along with nine other people and six institutions, to

receive a 2002 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics,

Science and Engineering Mentoring. Because of her involvement in a

number of mentoring programs, some of which give underrepresented

students a chance to pursue graduate studies and faculty positions,

Mecartney’s name reached the steps of the White House.

“This kind of recognition doesn’t come along very often,” said

Marjorie DeMartino, associate director of California Alliance for

Minority Participation Statewide, a mentoring and tutoring program

headquartered at UCI.

“Martha was, of course, one of our very proactive mentors and she

has been an incredible visual role model. ... I think it’s her

personal interest in the student and that she is so giving of her

time and so positive a source that she inspires people to go even

farther.”

Each of the awards, given annually by the National Science

Foundation, includes a presidential commemorative certificate and a

$10,000 grant to provide financial support for the recipients’

continued mentoring work.

“On a personal level, I feel like mentoring is very important

because that’s how I became a UC Irvine professor,” said Mecartney,

who has taught engineering at UCI for more than 12 years. “It’s that

personal touch and encouragement that is so important ... and can

make such a difference.”

Many of Mecartney’s colleagues believe she embodies the goal of

the president’s No Child Left Behind Act, which is to increase access

to quality education for underrepresented and disadvantaged students.

“She’s always demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges

that underrepresented students and women face in the sciences,” said

Manuel Gomez, vice chancellor of student affairs. “She has something

very special. She is able to ignite interest in the young minds of

students into the sciences.”

The award, which Mecartney will receive during a ceremony in

Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, not only identifies those people who

have demonstrated a commitment to mentoring students by sparking

their interest in science, mathematics and engineering, but also

honors those people who have encouraged students traditionally

underrepresented in those same fields.

“It’s tremendous validation ... and to be picked as one of the 10

is a real huge honor,” Mecartney said. “The university sometimes can

be very narrow in what they think is important. ... I hope this

encourages other faculty members to participate.”

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO covers education and may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at [email protected].