Dr. Katherine Grote, associate professor of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering, was named the 2021 Woman of the Year during a virtual awards ceremony held yesterday (April 21). During the ceremony, Terry Wilson, associate teaching professor of biological sciences, was presented the Dr. Elizabeth Cummins Women’s Advocate Award. Watch the ceremony.

The Woman of the Year award is given annually to a female full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in recognition of her efforts to improve the campus environment for women and minorities.

Grote joined Missouri S&T as an associate professor in 2015, and her research focuses on using ground penetrating radar to estimate soil moisture and using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to remotely sense geophysical data. Prior to joining S&T, she worked as an assistant and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and as a hydrogeologist at Weiss Associates at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Read more about Grote.

The Dr. Elizabeth Cummins Women’s Advocate Award is given to any Missouri S&T employee, regardless of gender or job designation, that demonstrates commitment to the women on campus through mentorship and advocacy and by setting an example through professional achievement.

Wilson joined the S&T faculty in 1993 as a teaching and research associate. Prior to joining S&T, she taught science courses in the Maries R-I school district in Vienna, Missouri, and at Sparta High School in Sparta, Missouri. Read more about Wilson.