Stone earns recognition as ‘rising star’
July 15, 2009
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the second year in a row, Mississippi State’s Bagley College of Engineering boasts a “technology rising star” among its faculty ranks.
Dr. Tonya Stone will travel to Dallas, Texas to be formally recognized at the 2009 Women of Color Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) conference. She follows in the footsteps of biological engineering assistant professor Dr. Lakiesha Williams who earned the same honor in 2008.
“I am honored that I will be recognized at the Women of Color STEM conference,” Stone said. “It provides a unique forum to network with leading minority women in STEM fields, enhancing professional development and helping us remain competitive as professionals.”
In May, Stone received a doctorate from Mississippi State and will begin a tenure-track position in the mechanical engineering department this fall. She will also continue her current work with the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems and the Powder Metallurgy Performance Project team. Her other research interests include multiscale modeling using internal state variable theory, molecular dynamics simulations, modeling and simulation of powder metallurgy processes, material characterization, and interface friction modeling.
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State, Stone spent eight years working for Dow Chemical in Texas before returning to Starkville to complete her graduate work. As a master’s student, she received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to help fund her doctoral work, which earned her the 2009 BCoE Research Support Staff Award.
Career Communications Group, which organizes the Women of Color STEM conference, selects Technology Rising Stars from a national pool of nominees. Recipients include representatives from academia and industry in various fields of technology.