Deborah Fisher, associate professor of civil engineering at the University of New Mexico School of Engineering, has been selected to receive the 2005 Society of Women Engineers Distinguished Engineering Educator Award. The award will be presented to Fisher at the SWE Awards Banquet at the Anaheim Convention Center on Nov. 4.
The award is presented to a woman who has shown excellence in her contributions as a teacher, scholar and engineering professional. Fisher has contributed to engineering research for over 30 years, specializing in computer modeling of constructability and manufacturing applications to improve the construction industry. She has taught for 25 years, first at the University of
Houston and then at the UNM School of Engineering since 1994.
Fisher’s ideal as an educator is “that learning should be fun,” she said, and “that education should be relevant — that you can apply it the very next day to your profession or career.”
“I get letters and e-mails from former students that say, ‘Now I know why we had to learn that. It makes sense now. Thank you. I use it everyday in my job,’” Fisher said. “These I post around my office to remind me why I’m in education.”
Fisher will be leaving UNM to consult in industry. “I know that I won't stay away from education forever,” she said. “I just think that faculty need to reenter the ‘real world’ periodically so that they can recharge and come back into the classroom to become more effective educators.”
Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-5813