NJIT - PublicInfo: Priscilla Nelson

NJIT - PublicInfo: Priscilla Nelson NJIT



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Priscilla Nelson, PhD

Priscilla Nelson, PhD	Priscilla Nelson, PhD joined NJIT as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs in 2005. Nelson has a national and international reputation in geological and rock engineering, and the particular application of underground construction. She has more than 15 years of teaching experience, has mentored many students, and has more than 120 technical and scientific publications to her credit. Her previous 11 years had been spent at the National Science Foundation, most recently as senior advisor to the director of NSF. During her time at NSF, she served in many capacities, including program director for the Geotechnical Engineering program, director for Professional Opportunities for Women in Research and Education Program, director of the Civil and Mechanical Systems (CMS) Division, senior engineering coordinator, and as program manager for the NEES (Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation) project that represents an $82 million federal investment in cyber infrastructure and earthquake experimentation equipment. She received the NEES Community Visionary Award in 2005. Nelson was appointed to the faculty in civil engineering at The University of Texas at Austin from 1983 through 1996, rising from Assistant through Associate and Full Professor ranks. Her honors and awards include Exxon Teaching Fellowships at The University of Texas at Austin (1985-1987), the Case Studies Award from the U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics (NAE, 1988), the Haliburton Education Foundation Award of Excellence (1991), the Basic Research Award from the U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics (NAE, 1993), and election to The Moles, an association of the heavy construction industry (1995), and induction into Tau Beta Pi as an Eminent Engineer (2007). At the National Science Foundation, she received the Director's Award for Integrative Collaboration four times, and she received the Director's Award for Meritorious Service in 1997. In 1999, she was appointed to the Senior Executive Service. Also in 1999, she received the Director's Award for Superior Accomplishment from the NSF. Nelson is an Honorary Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), former president of the Geo-Institute of ASCE, a lifetime member and first president of the American Rock Mechanics Association, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was recently elected Chair of the Division of Engineering in AAAS. In addition to these positions, she has many other professional affiliations including: Sigma Xi, the American Underground-Construction Association, the Association of Engineering Geologists, the International Tunnelling Association, the Society of Women Engineers, the Association of Women Geoscientists, and the American Society for Engineering Education. She was a member of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, appointed by President Clinton in 1997 and reappointed in 2000. She currently serves on the Advisory Committee for CyberInfrastructure, NSF; and on the Steering Committee, Summit on the Future of Civil Engineering Profession in 2025, ASCE. She has served as a member of and liaison to several National Research Council boards and committees. Nelson has been a part of several major construction projects, including field engineering responsibilities during construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, and serving as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Energy and the State of Texas for the Superconducting Super Collider project. Nelson has received three earned advanced degrees including master's degrees in both geology (Indiana University) and structural engineering (University of Oklahoma). In 1983, she received her PhD in geotechnical engineering from Cornell University.

Maintained by University Communications. Date of last update: 08/02/2007 04:35 PM