Rodica Baranescu Award for Technical & Leadership Excellence

Rodica Baranescu, Ph.D. is Past President of SAE International, an SAE Fellow and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.  As a mechanical engineer, she began her professional and academic career in her native country, Romania, before immigrating to the United States in 1980 and was later the first woman elected President of SAE International in 2000.

Dr. Baranescu helped to establish this award in 2011 to celebrate the successes of women in the engineering profession and recognizes their leadership and technical contributions in the aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle sectors. The award serves to broaden the awareness of the reach and impact of women working in mobility engineering, thus stimulating the involvement of women in engineering and opening doors for young girls interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) who wish to pursue engineering careers.

Nominees for this award must be women who have demonstrated technical competency and leadership in engineering.  Three women will be honored each year - one from each mobility engineering sector (aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle). Awardees may be employed or retired, and they must be members of SAE International.

This award includes an honorarium and is presented at a major SAE Engineering Event or the SAE Awards Ceremony