Established in 2011, this award celebrates the successes of women in the engineering profession and recognizes their leadership and technical contributions in various engineering sectors including Commercial Vehicles, Automotive and Aerospace. The intent of the award is to stimulate the involvement of women in engineering as well as open doors for young females interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities who wish to pursue engineering careers. Dr. Rodica Baranescu is an SAE Fellow, Past President of SAE International, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Dr. Rizzo received her PhD from Michigan Technological University in 2014. She currently holds the role of a Senior Research Mechanical Engineer for the Powertrain Modeling & Simulation Team at US Army CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center. She specializes in modeling, simulation and control of propulsion systems of ground vehicles.
From 2000 through 2008 she was a controls research and development engineer in the Powertrain Group at Chrysler LLC. She joined TARDEC in November of 2008 and was promoted to her current position in 2017. She is an active member of Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and Women in Defense (WID). This year she was chosen to mentor a new engineer meeting regularly to provide career advice and new ideas for addressing technical challenges. Dr. Rizzo has received a number of awards including the J. Cordell Breed Award for Women Leaders, a Horizon Award for product development and a best paper award for an article in the Journal of Systems and Control awarded by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. She has also published 16 articles in archival journals, 30 papers in refereed conference proceedings, 4 technical government reports, and holds 2 patents.
SAE International is a global association committed to advancing mobility knowledge and solutions for the benefit of humanity. By engaging nearly 200,000 engineers, technical experts and volunteers, we connect and educate mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs award-winning programs like A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™.
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Dr. Denise Rizzo (center) accepts that award from SAE President Paul Mascarenas and Rodica Baranescu
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