Sandra Woods (BS Civil Egr '76), dean of the College of Engineering at Colorado State University, received the 2011 General Palmer Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado for her significant contributions to Colorado engineering.
Woods is one of about 40 female deans in engineering colleges across the country. She joined Colorado State in 2001 as a professor and department head of civil engineering. She also has served as interim vice provost for special projects and interim vice provost for faculty affairs. She served as interim dean for a year before being formally appointed to the position in 2006.
At Colorado State, Woods has focused on making the College of Engineering more collaborative and building interdisciplinary programs in biomedical and systems engineering. Her leadership in the college has focused on greater interdisciplinary cooperation—within the college and across campus—and created a strategic focus on research programs that have global impact and affect quality of life.
Prior to joining Colorado State, Woods was a faculty member at Oregon State University. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Washington.
Her honors and awards include the College of Engineering Loyd Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching, the Beaver Champion Award from the president of Oregon State for leadership, the Association of Women in Science Fellow for the Oregon chapter and the National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator in Engineering award.
