We are thrilled to announce the winners of the inaugural Women in Engineering: Rising Star Awards 2024!
The Rising Star Awards program was launched in March 2024 as an initiative by SAE Media Group to recognize women engineers who are pushing boundaries, demonstrating outstanding innovation and leadership in the field of engineering, as well as paving the way for the next generation. Organizations were invited to nominate outstanding women engineers whose achievements have positively impacted both the industry and society.
In its inaugural year, the Rising Star Awards program received over 200 nominations from across the globe, making the evaluation process both rewarding and challenging. We were blown away by all the entries and the individual stories of women breaking barriers, challenging stereotypes, as well as proving that talent knows no boundaries and that women have a vital role in shaping the future of engineering and technology.
After meticulous evaluation by our esteemed panel of judges and editorial team, we have selected eight winners who demonstrate outstanding innovation and leadership as well as are enhancing the engineering profession through their contributions to the society in the fields of Aerospace/Defense, Automotive/Transportation, Electronics, Manufacturing, Medical, and Sustainability. The Manufacturing and Medical categories had a tie, so there are two winners in both categories.
“Our Rising Star Awards reflect the contributions of incredible women engineers who continue to push boundaries and are making an impact beyond their organizations,” said Carla Bailo, SAE International’s President. “I would like to congratulate the eight outstanding winners this year who are not only driving innovation in the engineering profession but are also excellent role models to young girls who might be thinking about a career in engineering and technology. These rising stars represent the future of the industry, and their success demonstrates that diversity in engineering brings fresh perspectives and drives groundbreaking solutions,” she added.
Here are the winners of the 2024 Rising Star Awards:
Aerospace/Defense
Heather Cummings
Senior Engineer - Flight Controls & Autonomy
Lockheed Martin Sikorsky Aircraft
Automotive/Transportation
Bruque Argaw
Functional Safety Integration Engineer
General Motors
Electronics
Dr. La'Quata Sumter
Professor
DeVry University
Manufacturing
Jessica Polkinghorn
Senior Manager
Apple Inc.
Stephanie de Boissieu
Vice President General Manager, Factory Automation
Emerson
Medical
Asha Parekh
CEO and Co-Founder
Frontline Medical Technologies
Oonagh Hassett
Program Manager
Symphysis Medical
Sustainability
Riddhi Padariya
Senior Controls Engineer
Heirloom Carbon Technologies
Congratulations to all the 2024 winners! Watch this space for next year’s awards.