The first step in the nomination process for the Catt Center’s 2014 Honorees starts with questions asking about the women’s involvement and impact at Iowa State. 

“Do you know a woman who has impacted Iowa State through campus involvement, in the classroom or community relationships? Inspires women of all generations? Is a current Iowa State student, faculty or staff member?” the Catt Center asked the ISU community on its nomination page.

If a name came to mind, that woman might have been nominated to be featured as an honoree on the Women Impacting ISU calendar.

Out of 64 nominees, 12 of Iowa State’s outstanding women contributors to the university have been selected for the 2014 calendar.

Merry Rankin, director of sustainability for Live Green!, was among those selected.

“It’s very humbling because there are so many amazing women making an impact at Iowa State,” Rankin said. “So many of them are mentors to me and have been wonderful partners and collaborators on all the different projects that have been great to accomplish.”

The calendar was developed in 2007 as a tribute to current students, faculty and staff who have been distinguished through their endeavors at Iowa State.

Nominees are selected by a committee of 16 representatives from the Catt Center, its student programs and previous calendar honorees, according to the Catt Center website.

Recognition focuses on the contributions women made at Iowa State through classroom work and engaging in campus and community relationships.

Another honoree, Beth Hartmann, lecturer of of civil, construction and environmental engineering, has had many roles with Iowa State.

Hartmann is a two-time alumna from the university, receiving a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1989 and a master’s in construction engineering in 1996. She was also part of the Navy ROTC program and served as a Civil Engineer Corps officer for 20 years.

She returned to Iowa State in 2009 and began teaching in the fall. Hartmann said the extra effort she puts into teaching may have played a part in her nomination for the calendar.

“I teach a lot. I learned every student’s name, and I know their names by the first two or three weeks of class,” Hartmann said. “I know it’s important to them and it’s important to me.”

Hartmann also advises a learning community for construction engineers and the capstone course for civil and construction engineers.

Alicia Carriquiry, distinguished professor of statistics was also selected to be an honoree and said she too loves teaching. Carriquiry has been teaching at Iowa State since 1990 after receiving a Ph.D. in 1989.

“I have been director of graduate education for many years in the department,” said Carriquiry. “I really like teaching and I really like working with students. I hope to have been a role model for women in sciences.”

Carriquiry was the first female in the department of statistics to be promoted to full professor.

“I hope that I have conducted myself in a way that has tempted other women to also pursue a career in the sciences,” Carriquiry said.

Additional criteria to be selected for the calendar includes campus and community involvement. 

Hartmann’s involvement includes being a coach for the green energy challenge, a national competition where universities must put teams together and analyze a building on their campuses. The teams must find how much energy that building uses and find ways to reduce that energy usage.

Hartmann’s team took first place last year in the written component of the competition and third in the oral presentation the last two years.

She said she believes being in the Navy has helped her in juggling the different activities she takes on.

“I’m just used to working a lot. I think most people, if you find something you love, you’ll find time for it,” Hartmann said.

Hartmann said it is important for her to get to know her students and be a vital resource for them, professionally and personally.

“I’m there for the students. Not only am I trying to be the best teacher I can be, but I’m also available for them when they are looking for jobs, if they are having a rough time,” Hartmann said. “I come to work with a smile on my face and try to be a positive role model.”

Hartmann said that she puts her personal cellphone number on her syllabus. 

Another element of community and campus involvement on Hartmann’s list of achievements was shaving her head last year for a fundraiser for a student who had graduated and was then diagnosed with cancer.

“A few of us did a fundraising event where we raised money and the people who won the prize basically go to shave our heads. We got to raise $4,000 for him and his family,” Hartmann said. “Unfortunately, he passed away.”

Rankin said it is an honor and humbling to be selected for this calendar.

“Carrie Chapman Catt was a woman who had an amazing impact and she’s the person being honored [with] the calendar,” Rankin said. “It’s always been something that I have always been in awe of everyone who has been included on the calendar. I have always read about them with interest in the different things they are doing but never imagined that I would ever be on it, so it’s very exciting.”

The 2014 calendar will be officially released at a reception on Jan. 15, 2014, in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.