Missouri S&T Chancellor Cheryl B. Schrader

Dr. Cheryl B. Schrader, chancellor of Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been named an IEEE Fellow in recognition of her leadership and contributions in engineering education. The honor is the highest grade of membership in the organization.

The IEEE (formerly known as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) confers the grade of fellow upon those with an outstanding record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest. The total number selected in any one year cannot exceed one-tenth of 1 percent of the total voting membership.

Schrader is a past president of the IEEE Control Systems Society, which has more than 10,000 members worldwide. She represents IEEE on the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission, which is dedicated to providing world leadership in stimulating innovation and excellence in engineering. Schrader was a former IEEE director of the American Automatic Control Council and has served the IEEE at the institutional, technical and regional levels.

In 1984, Schrader earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind. She earned master of science and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1987 and 1991, respectively. Her research background is in the area of systems and control.

Schrader has received several best paper awards, authored 100 publications, delivered more than 100 invited presentations and keynote addresses, and secured grant and contract funding in excess of $11 million.

Prior to joining Missouri S&T, Schrader served as associate vice president for strategic research initiatives and dean of engineering at Boise State University. While dean, the college’s undergraduate engineering enrollment increased by 60 percent, graduate enrollment increased by 36 percent, and funding for research grants and contracts in the college more than tripled.

Schrader began her teaching and research career at the University of Notre Dame while undertaking internships and consulting work with McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. in the early 1980s and Chimera Research in the early 1990s. Following a brief period as an adjunct assistant professor at Rice University in 1991, Schrader moved to the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she rose to professor of electrical engineering and associate dean at both a college of sciences and a college of engineering. She then joined Boise State in 2003.

A passion for STEM

Passionate about increasing interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, Schrader’s current research interests focus on creating and assessing innovative learning methods to help students of all ages succeed in the STEM areas.

Schrader’s impact on engineering education, technology and society has been recognized by the IEEE Education Society Hewlett-Packard/Harriett B. Rigas Award for “significant contributions to electrical engineering education through excellence in teaching, enhanced student learning, increased participation of women and demonstrated research.” Schrader’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from George W. Bush lauded her accomplishments in encouraging and supporting underrepresented groups. She also received the IEEE Control Systems Society’s Distinguished Member Award and the Distinguished Educator Award from the Electrical and Computer Engineering division of the American Society for Engineering Education.

The IEEE is the world’s leading professional association for advancing technology for humanity. Through its 400,000 members in 160 countries, the IEEE is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.

Dedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world’s literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed more than 900 active industry standards. The association also sponsors or co-sponsors nearly 400 international technical conferences each year. If you would like to learn more about IEEE or the IEEE Fellow Program, please visit www.ieee.org.