Jennifer Schaefer, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is the recipient of the 2021 Catherine F. Pieronek Women in Engineering Impact Award.

The annual award honors a faculty or staff member in the Notre Dame College of Engineering “who has made a dramatic positive impact on women’s engineering experience” through teaching and mentoring; service and support; and advocacy for women in engineering.

Award recipients are selected based on feedback from Notre Dame Engineering graduate and undergraduate women students.

Students describe Schaefer as “an absolutely incredible professor and advocate for women in STEM,” who “ensures we understand real-world applications … to help us thrive in the real world.” Others commented that she “cares about our mental well-being … supports students through challenging moments,” and “I view her as a role model engineer and am thankful for her support and guidance.”

The Impact Award is named in honor of Catherine F. Pieronek, who pioneered and was Notre Dame’s first director of Women in Engineering.

Previous Women in Engineering Impact Award recipients:

2020 – Liz Kerr, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences
2019 – Pinar Zorlutuna, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
2018 – Ashley Thrall, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences
2017 – Victoria Goodrich, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Originally published by the College of Engineering on March 8, 2021.