VCU Engineering alum receives 2009 Distinguished New Engineer Award from the Society of Women Engineers

By Jennifer Terkeltaub
VCU Communications and Public Relations

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering graduate Mary Perkinson has received the 2009 Distinguished New Engineer Award from the Society of Women Engineers.

The award honors women engineers who have been actively engaged in engineering, demonstrated outstanding technical performance and have no more than 10 years of cumulative engineering experience.

Perkinson is being recognized for her technical accomplishments, excellence in team building, service to the society and for sharing her commitment to the engineering profession with the community.

An engineering manager at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Newport News, Perkinson is responsible for overseeing all engineering and repair work for more than 250 cranes of varying weight.

Perkinson has been a Society of Women member since 1999, when she first joined as a student at VCU. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in fine arts from VCU. She also earned numerous certifications focused on leadership, engineering and lean practices.

The award recently was presented at the society’s annual conference in Long Beach, Calif., which included more than 5,000 attendees from the industry, government and academia.

The Society of Women Engineers, founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization that empowers women to succeed and advance in the field of engineering, and to be recognized for life-changing contributions as engineers and leaders. For more information, visit www.swe.org.