Fowler Receives IEEE-USA Distinguished Public Service Award

Fowler is responsible for helping researchers in Arkansas win federal research grants to build research infrastructure and capability. Nominator Dr. Matt Francis, President and CEO of Ozark Integrated (Ozark IC) and an IEEE Life Member, summed up Fowler’s work in his nomination: “As a champion of both innovation and Arkansas, Jennifer aggressively connects innovative people, companies, and researchers across her state to help them all succeed.”

Francis noted that Fowler was critical to Arkansas EPSCoR’s success, which has generated more than a thousand peer-reviewed publications from researchers, more than forty patents, created 13 start-up companies, and secured $166 million in grant funding since 2010.

Francis and the two nomination endorsers — Ian Getreu, Director of Partnerships for Ozark IC; and Eric Grigorian, Chief, Architecture & Systems Development Division and Chief Engineer Georgia Tech Research Institute, cited Fowler’s work on the IEEE-USA IWRC (Innovation Research Workforce Conference) program. The IEEE-USA IWRC program included speakers and attendees from federal and state agencies; senior officials from the NSF and Arkansas State government; historically black colleges; small business owners; and representatives from large steel trucking, mining, and logistic companies.

“Fowler helped develop it; sold it to her organization (the Arkansas Economic Development Commission); championed it; found vital allies within the federal and state governments; and relentlessly promoted the event within both the NSF and Arkansas,” added Francis. “IWRC could not have happened, let alone succeeded, without Jennifer’s commitment, leadership and assistance.”

Eric Grigorian attended the IEEE IWRC program, and he noted in his endorsement, “This event was incredibly unique. Jennifer helped curate a venue where decision-makers and influencers from every sector could be engaged in a two-way conversation. These were coupled with technical and policy experts from IEEE that move Arkansas’ innovation economy forward.”

IEEE-USA is using the successful conference as a model for other areas of the nation.

Getreu, Director of Partnerships for OzarkIC, an Arkansas-based small business in the semiconductor industry, credited Fowler’s work helping business apply for CHIPS funding, “Without her support, my own company would not have had the success we have had, becoming a semiconductor leader in a traditionally rural state.” He noted that her efforts connecting the entrepreneurial community with big business and academia led to seven proposals being submitted (and many more pending). “When the CHIPS+ Act was passed, it was Jennifer who led the charge in Arkansas.”

There will be a virtual awards ceremony for this and several additional awards, on 28 August. IEEE-USA’s Awards and Recognition Committee administer IEEE-USA Awards; and the IEEE Awards Board and the IEEE Board of Directors approves them.

The IEEE-USA Award for Distinguished Public Service is given to honor an individual not currently in the practice of engineering, for contributions in furthering the professional goals of IEEE in the United States, by such means as (but not limited to) influencing laws or regulations benefiting the profession; industrial environments to foster professionalism curricula; or publications designed to enhance professionalism, and other similar activities.

Nominations for the 2024 IEEE-USA Awards are now open, and will be accepted through 15 September. For information on IEEE awards, past winners and helpful videos on how to develop a nomination, visit the Awards and Recognition page at the IEEE Website.