Sarah Rajala, dean of the College of Engineering, was named national engineer of the year by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES).

“AAES is a multidisciplinary organization of engineering societies dedicated to advancing the knowledge, understanding, and practice of engineering,” according to the AAES website. AAES member societies represent the mainstream of U.S. engineering — engineers in industry, government, and academia.”

Rajala was recognized at a ceremony April 18 in Washington, D.C., for her service in leadership at the institutional, national and international level, her innovations in engineering education and assessment and her efforts to promote diversity in the engineering field.

She accomplished this by revising the College of Engineering’s strategic plan and establishing a diversity advisory council to improve success rates of students of color and women, according to her biography.

Rajala earned her bachelor’s degree from Michigan Technological University and her master’s and Ph.D. from Rice University.

Rajala joined the ISU community in 2013 after serving as the dean of the Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University. She has also been a distinguished professor and center director, and has had numerous leadership positions.

She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, former president of the American Society for Engineering Education, a fellow of the the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and a chair for the Global Engineering Dean’s Council.