NSB News Release

National Science Board awards Betty Lise Anderson its Public Service Award

Betty Lise Anderson

2022 NSB Public Service Award winner, Betty Lise Anderson helps children with a STEM Project ( (Credit and Larger Version)

April 26, 2022

The National Science Board (NSB) is pleased to announce that it will honor Betty Lise Anderson,  Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Ohio State University (OSU) with its 2022 Public Service Award. The award honors exemplary service in promoting public understanding of science and engineering.

“Dr. Anderson exemplifies what this award is all about” said Maureen Condic, Chair of NSB’s Subcommittee on Honorary Awards. “Not only is she helping shape the next great minds of our STEM enterprise at the university level, she also enlists those minds to help cultivate and motivate young minds at a fundamental level. Her work exemplifies the priorities put forward in NSB’s Vision 2030 to expand STEM opportunities to all Americans.  She’s invaluable.”

Dr. Anderson has led a program – free to participants – that has reached 35,000 students at over 100 different schools, libraries, after-school programs, and scout troops. The program  delivers hands-on engineering activities to K-12 students throughout central Ohio and beyond.  Graduate and undergraduate students, as well as over 600 volunteers operate the program, which hosts an average three events each week. Many volunteers are still students, while others are alumni who want to stay involved or who want to bring the program into their own communities.

On campus, Dr. Anderson trains participating students in outreach delivery through several courses. One is called Capstone Design in which teams of engineering seniors develop new projects for K-12 students.

“I am just so thrilled to be chosen for this award,” said Anderson. “There are so many good people out there doing good things that this is a really big honor. Plus I got to talk to Dr. Ellen Ochoa!”

Dr. Anderson began her career teaching for two years at an experimental elementary school. She then worked in industry for nine years at Tektronix, Inc., C.S. Draper Labs, and GTE Laboratories.

She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Syracuse University and a Master of Science from the University of Vermont where she also obtained her Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Electrical Engineering. Her technical area is photonics, or the physical science of light waves.

Dr. Anderson’s achievements include: Fellow of the Society for Photo-Instrumentation Engineers, senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Optical Society of America. She is also co-author of “Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices.”

NSB will present Dr. Anderson with its Public Service Award on May 5, 2022 at an awards ceremony at the agency’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. She will also participate in a discussion panel with other awardees during the NSB meeting. NSB is also recognizing NOBBChE with its Public Service Award this year.

The Board established its Public Service Award in 1996. The annual award recognizes individuals and groups (e.g., companies, corporations, organizations) that have increased the public's understanding of science or engineering. Past individual recipients of the Public Service Award  include Jane Goodall, Stephen Jay Gould, Craig Barret, and Alan Alda.

About the National Science Board
The NSB identifies issues critical to NSF’s future, establishes its policies, and serves as co-head of agency with the NSF Director. The Board also advises the President and Congress on policy matters related to science and engineering (S&E) and S&E education. Selected for their distinguished service and accomplishments in academia, government, and the private sector, the Board’s 24 presidentially appointed members are leaders in science and engineering, and in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

 

Media Contacts:

Brandon Powell, National Science Board, bjpowell@nsf.gov (703) 292-2769


The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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