‘Outstanding’ women recognized by university
April 13, 2012
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Three Bagley College of Engineering women were honored at the 34th annual President’s Commission on the Status of Women awards ceremony.
This year’s engineering honorees include: Palara C. Grant, Outstanding Undergraduate Woman; Kendra L. Carr, Outstanding Graduate Woman; and Keisha B. Walters, Outstanding Faculty Woman.
The commission collected campus-wide nominations for each of the award categories. Winners were selected based on their contributions to the university and Starkville community.
Grant, a native of Clinton, is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. She has been active in Mississippi State’s Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education program, serving as president from 2009-11 and earning the Mary Jasper Leadership Award. In her time at MSU, she has also been a member of the National Society for Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the MSU Roadrunners. Her charitable work includes Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots, Take Back the Night, Relay for Life, and being a mentor with the Boys and Girls Club and the Okitbbeha County School System.
A native of Meridian, Carr is working towards a master’s degree in computer science. She earned a bachelor’s in the same field in 2010. A former MSU cheerleader, she now spends much of her time working on a National Science Foundation-sponsored project to bring women into the field of computer security. This work includes being co-author for research publications, recruiting in Mississippi high schools, and developing a curriculum for a summer camp. She has been active as a children’s group leader at Pinelake Church and in charitable service with LOVE’s Kitchen and the Lauderdale County Mental Health Association.
An associate professor in the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, Walters regularly earns recognition for her work an innovative educator, including awards and honors from the American Society for Engineering Education. She is known for incorporating unconventional and hands-on activities in the classroom, as well as with her outreach activities with area elementary and high school students and faculty. Since coming to Mississippi State in 2005, she has been inducted into the BCoE Academy of Distinguished Teachers and has earned a StatePride Faculty Award. She is a graduate of Clemson University with degrees in biological sciences and chemical engineering.
The President’s Commission on the Status of Women was created in 1977 to provide a voice for issues facing women on campus. For more information and a complete list of this year’s award winners visit www.committees.msstate.edu/pcsw/.
More information about the Bagley College of Engineering can be found at www.bagley.msstate.edu.