A collaboration of four local institutions has won a prestigious 5-year, $2.86 million National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant to increase the representation of women in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Academy. Dr. Heidi Ries, Dean for Research at the Air Force Institute of Technology's Graduate School of Engineering and Management, serves as AFIT’s representative on this project along with representatives from Wright State University, the University of Dayton, and Central State University.

The four institutions will form the LEADER Consortium with the purpose of Launching Equity in the Academy across the Dayton Entrepreneurial Region. LEADER will work to analyze the climate for women in STEM fields across institutions and create transparency and accountability for transforming the climate to recruit and promote women in the STEM academy but also more broadly in the STEM industries that will rescue the economy of the Dayton region.

According to Dr. Ries, “The LEADER project is an exciting opportunity to expand AFIT’s partnership with regional institutions and to improve the representation of women faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Our nation needs to encourage the best and the brightest of all demographics to reach their highest potential in technical pursuits if we are to remain internationally competitive.”

The LEADER project is a continuation of Dr. Ries’ efforts to promote science education and research collaboration throughout her career. As a faculty member at Norfolk State University in the 1990s, she led a $4.5M National Science Foundation project to develop the institution's research programs in materials science and expand minority student access to graduate science education. Since her arrival at AFIT in 1999, Dr. Ries has worked with the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute to promote collaborative research projects among the member institutions (AFIT, UD, and WSU).

In addition to her work with DAGSI, Dr. Ries serves on the Board of Directors of the Engineering and Science Foundation of Dayton, which funds projects to increase the interest of students in grades K-12 in the Greater Dayton area in science, math, and technology. She also has served on the Curriculum Advisory Committee of the Centerville City Schools, supports local science fairs as a volunteer judge, and has served as an advisory board member for Central State University’s Quality Enhancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (QUEST) program. Dr. Ries’ research education affiliations extend beyond the local area, as well.Most recently, this summer, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Engineering Education's Engineering Research Council.