2022 Waterman Award

美国国家科学基金会（NSF）将Lara A.哥伦比亚特区大学机械工程系副教授汤普森是三位2022年艾伦·T·沃特曼奖获得者该奖项是NSF的最高荣誉，每年表彰40岁以下或获得博士学位后不超过10年的杰出研究人员。在提名当年的12月31日之前获得学位。该奖项资助获奖者在任何科学或工程领域的研究。今年，每位获奖者将在五年内获得100万美元的资助，用于在其领域进行进一步的高级研究。汤普森博士因其创新研究而受到认可，该研究结合了工程学，传感器技术和感觉运动生理学的多学科方法，以调查和改善对人类姿势，步态和平衡的临床诊断，适用于因年龄，创伤和疾病而受损的人。汤普森博士开发的革命性方法正在推进康复工程和生物力学领域的发展，并改善行动不便人群的生活质量。汤普森博士开创了新的研究计划和教育计划，并率先建立了与生物医学工程相关的新基础设施。 在她的59篇出版物中，本科生研究助理是合著者。 她在2017年获得了高等教育新兴学者国家奖的各种问题，并在2019年获得了年度STEM创新者奖的黑人工程师。 她是哈佛耳鼻喉科杂志2019年秋季版的特色校友：“在研究和医学之间找到正确的平衡。“她是三个美国特色科学家国家科学基金会活动：1）2021年杰出的小组讨论，题为“黑人科学家工程师在我们国家的HBCU：现在创造美国历史”; 2）2020年向国会提交的演讲：扩大参与由美国众议院科学，空间和技术委员会赞助的STEM;和3）2019年“科学国家”视频“研究使HBCU本科生沉浸在生物医学工程中。“Thompson博士在马萨诸塞州洛厄尔大学获得机械工程理学学士学位，随后在斯坦福大学获得航空和航天工程理学硕士学位，并在哈佛-麻省理工学院健康科学与技术项目获得生物医学工程博士学位。她的博士研究首次证明了基于前庭的感觉假体可以提高保持平衡的能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The National Science Foundation (NSF) named Dr. Lara A. Thompson, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of the District of Columbia, one of three 2022 Alan T. Waterman Award recipients. This award is NSF's highest honor that annually recognizes an outstanding researcher who is 40 years or younger or not more than 10 years beyond receipt of the Ph.D. degree, by December 31 of the year of the nomination. The award funds the recipient's research in any field of science or engineering. This year, each awardee will receive a $1 million grant over a five-year period for further advanced study in his or her field.Dr. Thompson is recognized for her innovative research that combines multidisciplinary approaches in engineering, sensor technology, and sensory-motor physiology to investigate and improve clinical diagnostics on human posture, gait, and balance for those impaired by age, trauma, and disease. The revolutionary approaches developed by Thompson are advancing the field of rehabilitation engineering and biomechanics and improving the quality-of-life for mobility impaired populations.Dr. Thompson has trailblazed new research initiatives and educational programs and spearheaded new infrastructure tied to biomedical engineering. In many of her 59 publications, undergraduate research assistants are co-authors. She received a Diverse Issues in Higher Education Emerging Scholar National Award in 2017 and a Black Engineer of the Year STEM innovator Award in 2019. She was a featured alumna in the Fall 2019 edition of Harvard Otolaryngology magazine: "Finding the right balance between research and medicine." She was a featured scientist in three U.S. National Science Foundation events: 1) a 2021 distinguished panel discussion titled "Black Scientists & Engineers at Our Nation's HBCUs: Making American History Now;" 2) the 2020 Presentation to Congress: Broadening Participation in STEM sponsored by the United States House Committee on Science, Space and Technology; and 3) the 2019 "Science Nation" video "Research immerses HBCU undergrads in biomedical engineering."Dr. Thompson earned her Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, followed by a Master of Science degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering at Stanford University and a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering from the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. Her doctoral research was the first to demonstrate that a vestibular-based sensory prosthetic can improve the ability to maintain balance.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.