May 5, 1999
News Contact: Charlie Melichar [email protected] 410.455.6380
DR. RITA COLWELL TO RECEIVE HONORARY DOCTOR OF SCIENCE, SPEAK AT UMBC COMMENCEMENT
Baltimore, MD -- Dr. Rita Rossi Colwell, Director of the National Science Foundation, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree and speak at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 25 at 1 p.m. at the Baltimore Arena. More than 900 undergraduate, nearly 200 master's and 35 doctoral degrees will be awarded during the ceremonies.
Valedictory comments will be made by Meyerhoff scholar Ryan Turner, a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. Turner is the first African-American male to be named valedictorian at UMBC.
Dr. Colwell was appointed by President Clinton in August of 1998 to serve as the fifteenth director of the NSF. In less than one year since her appointment, Dr. Colwell has guided the NSF in addressing a wide range of issues that include the environment and biocomplexity, as well as the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, public outreach, and education.
As Director of the NSF, Dr. Colwell oversees the Clinton Administration initiative on Information Technology for the Twenty-First Century (IT2). IT2 responds to a growing concern expressed by the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee that U.S. leadership in information technology innovation and development could be undercut in the near future. The initiative explores three major areas: research on fundamental information technology; advanced computing for the fields of science and engineering, as well as the nation; and the economic and social impact of the information revolution.
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