For Pamela McCauley, Ph.D., 2019 was an exceptional year. An internationally-recognized industrial engineering researcher and STEM advocate, she was named 2019 Technologist of the Year. The honor brought with it a flood of requests for speaking engagements, an invitation to join a board of trustees, and, according to McCauley, even contributed to an offer for a new position.

“It’s such an honor to be Technologist of the Year,” said McCauley.

However, despite her enthusiasm to travel the country delivering messages of encouragement to women in STEM and share with leaders the importance of minimizing the loss of talent, she, just like everyone else, was slowed in her tracks by the pandemic.

Just before she was supposed to go to Kent State University in March for a speaking engagement, the nation started shutting down due to the virus. That engagement was postponed indefinitely.

Still, McCauley remains exuberant about the honor of being Technologist of the Year and the exposure and opportunities that have come with it. The recognition also has heightened her credibility and made it possible for her to achieve a $10,000 speaker’s fee.

She credits the prestigious award with being a factor in her selection as the new associate dean of academic programs, diversity, and inclusiveness at Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.

“I am super excited about this,” said McCauley as she was in the process of moving from Florida to North Carolina in July for her new post. “I will have an opportunity to lead in a way to make sure everyone knows they are a valued member of the team.”

Wilson College in Raleigh, NC, is a leader in textile education, research, and service.

“I am very much about innovation and taking ideas from the lab to market to useful products,” said McCauley, noting that the college has participated in making masks during the global health crisis.

McCauley, a certified professional engineer, is also a seasoned entrepreneur and innovator. She led the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps Program, which prepares scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the university laboratory and accelerates the economic and societal benefits of NSF-funded basic research projects that are ready to move toward commercialization. She’s also authored the following books:

McCauley is known for work in the development of fuzzy set theory-based mathematical models, human engineering, ergonomics, biomechanics, as well as engineering leadership and women’s leadership in STEM.

One of the messages McCauley has addressed during her travels and speaking engagements is the need to reduce the number of women leaving STEM early in their careers. “I think that could be one of the greatest human capital crises of our time,” she said.

It’s imperative that women have mentors and sponsors who can support them during the difficult times in their early and mid-career. She noted that she is well aware of the many challenges women in STEM face and she, too, has experienced negative situations that often drive women from continuing. Women in STEM often feel isolated, marginalized, and frustrated.

She said women of color often are treated differently in STEM workplaces and made to feel like they are the problem. “We need to hold each other up and call them out,” she said.

Employers should realize the financial investment they’ve made in these critical female members of the workforce in recruiting and training and be alarmed at “this talent that’s walking out the door,” McCauley said.

Despite the many limitations that the next Technologist of the Year might face making her mark during the pandemic, McCauley said the health crisis has some upsides. The explosion of reliance on virtual meeting apps and services such as Zoom and GoToMeeting means there is now an opportunity to reach more people and have a broader impact without the expense, travel, and consumption of time for face-to-face gatherings.

“You can be in so many more places than before,” she said, adding that more can be done more effectively through these platforms.“I would encourage the next Technologist of the Year to take advantage of online culture to spread their message. I think people will be very receptive to it.”