by Bill Hancock
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

2/17/2011 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Dr. Heidi R. Ries, Air Force Institute of Technology dean for research, earned the 2011 Women's History Month Foreign Language and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, Role Model Award in recognition of a multitude of her efforts.

"I am honored to be a recipient of this award, and to serve the Air Force and AFIT," Dr. Ries said.";The existence of this award is an indication of the Air Force's commitment to diversity and STEM, and I am enthusiastic about our progress in these areas."

Her work includes exemplary leadership in support of the recruitment, retention, promotion, and career development of women STEM faculty in the Dayton region; public service to the STEM educational community; and engagement with middle school science activities.

"I could not be more pleased with the selection of Dr. Ries. This is well-deserved recognition of all she does for AFIT, the Air Force, and the STEM community," said Maj. Gen. Walter D. Givan, AFIT commandant. ";Dr. Ries reflects the high-quality of educators we have on staff here at AFIT, and has made all of us very proud."

Along with her many duties at AFIT, Dr. Ries is the institutional coordinator for the Launching Equity in the Academy across the Dayton Entrepreneurial Region Consortium National Science Foundation ADVANCE program partnership led by Wright State University. This program is designed to improve the institution's ability to attract, retain and promote women professors in STEM disciplines. As the most experienced administrator on the consortium's leadership team, Dr. Ries successfully advocated organizational strategies for improving the consortium's effectiveness during last year's transition to a new LEADER project principal investigator. New programs have been developed for 2010 implementation to train department heads to effectively mentor junior faculty, advocate bias-free search committee and promotion processes, and provide a welcoming environment for under-represented faculty.

At AFIT, Dr. Ries has implemented a well-received quarterly faculty women's luncheon to promote camaraderie and improved communications, with the goal of enhancing the work environment for all. Dr. Ries also advises and guides AFIT's equity advisor, who is responsible for working with search committees, to obtain more diverse candidate pools for STEM faculty positions.

"Dr. Ries' compassion and dedication for the principles and practices of STEM are acknowledged in this most prestigious award," said Dr. Marlin U. Thomas, AFIT Graduate School of Engineering and Management dean.";She is an inspiration, from the school-age children who benefit from STEM, to the AFIT students who seek out her knowledge, and a true champion of academia."

Dr. Ries serves as a member of the Engineering and Science Foundation of Dayton's Board of Trustees. She also serves as the";champion," or subcommittee chair, for ESF's strategic partnership with Dayton's public television station, ThinkTV, to produce Stem Cluster Videos. Videos on the topics of power and propulsion, sensors, advanced manufacturing and materials, human performance and medicine, and air vehicles/air systems, designed to directly support the science curriculum of the Dayton Regional STEM Center, have been developed.

The videos provide introductions to the basic scientific concepts, as well as real-world examples to motivate continued interest. The first three videos were recently made available nationally and internationally via the website, and the last two will be completed soon. A sixth video,";What is Quality STEM Education?" is also in production to support professional development initiatives for K-12 STEM educators.

Dr. Ries tutors 10 students as the optics event coach for the 2010-2011 Hadley E. Watts Middle School Science Olympiad program. In the optics event, students develop basic knowledge of geometric and physical optics which must be demonstrated during written tests at invitational, regional, and possibly state and national competitions. Dr. Ries also served as a team coordinator for Dr. John Hole Elementary's Destination Imagination 4th and 5th grade team 2008-2009 academic year on a topic addressing animal communication techniques.

Prior to joining AFIT, Dr. Ries served as professor of physics and director of the Center for Materials Research at Norfolk State University, a historically black university in Norfolk, Va., where she still serves as an advisory committee member for its recently awarded NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program project. While at NSU from 1986 to 1999, she collaborated in a variety of materials-related research and science education initiatives involving regional universities, Jefferson Lab, NASA Langley Research Center, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. These funded projects and collaborative initiatives resulted in Norfolk State University's first master's and doctoral programs in the sciences.

Joining the AFIT faculty in 1999, Dr. Ries has served as the dean for research since 2005. Under her leadership, AFIT established designated research centers and successfully increased external research and educational funding from $2.6 million in FY00 to nearly $20 million in FY10. She acquired more than $15 million in funding to support research and education projects in the areas of nonlinear optical materials, radiation effects, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and laser processing of materials.

Dr. Ries is a member of St. Henry Catholic Church, and supports the Centerville City Schools as a coach for the Science Olympiad team. She received the Air Force's Award for Meritorious Civilian Service in 2009, and was recognized by the Dayton Daily News as one of the region's 2009 Ten Top Women.