The Women of Color STEM Conference, which is marking 25 years of promoting significant achievements of women in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine, is excited to announce the winners of the 2020 Women of Color Awards.

With winners across 15 categories, the awards are granted by a selection committee drawn from industry, government, and academia.This year, more than 40 women will be recognized.

Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D., RN, FAAN will receive the top honor as Technologist of the Year. The award represents recognition of high merit, the broad effect on people in many disciplines, and value to society as a whole. Among her many achievements in the field of nursing and public health, Rear Admiral Trent-Adams has had a direct impact on building systems of care to improve public health for marginalized populations domestically and internationally.

Register now for the 2020 Women of Color STEM Hybrid Conference.

Other notable award recipients at the 2020 Women of Color STEM Conference, include Adrienne Somerville of the Naval Air Systems Command who will be receiving the President's Award.

Additional award categories include career achievement, community service, corporate responsibility, diversity leadership, educational leadership, managerial leadership, new media/IT, outstanding technical contributing, professional achievement, technical innovation, student leadership, technology all-star, and technology rising stars.

Each year the Women of Color STEM Conference hosts several award ceremonies and a forum of leaders from Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, colleges, and universities to discuss key issues in the scientific and technical workforce, share best practices, and showcase opportunities for professional development, networking and recruiting.

The theme for the 2020 Annual Conference "The World is Counting on Us: Reset to Rise" is focused on giving attendees the expert insights and tools that they need to shape growth in a changing landscape, and address the under representation of women in engineering (15%) and computer and mathematical sciences (26%). Race and ethnicity are salient factors in rates of participation in the science and engineering workforce (NSF, Science & Engineering Indicators, 2018).

Although many attendees will be onsite, the Women of Color STEM Conference is also offering attendees across the United States virtual access to seminars and workshops during the three-day event, which is dedicated to promoting professional role models and providing an important platform to share their stories. This year's class of achievers will be recognized during the 2020 Hybrid Conference October 8-10.

Meet the 2020 Women of Color STEM Award Recipients. Click here to read the full list.