Elwess to Be Honored at Feb. 12 Reception

PLATTSBURGH, NY (02/02/2010)(readMedia)-- SUNY Plattsburgh will host a reception for Dr. Nancy Elwess, the college's professor of biological sciences who was selected by the Obama administration to receive a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

The reception will be held Friday, Feb. 12, at 3 p.m. in the Cardinal Lounge, Angell College Center.

Elwess was one of only a handful of college faculty from across the country to receive the award this year. The award was designed to recognize the crucial role that mentoring plays in the academic and personal development of students studying science or engineering, who belong to minorities underrepresented in those fields.

While in Washington, D.C., her itinerary included small group advisory meetings with President Obama, the director of the National Science Foundation, the secretary of education and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

At the ceremony, Obama credited the award winners with doing more than just training a new generation of workers.

"... [A good education is] about instilling in a young person a love of learning and a sense of possibility in their own lives, an understanding of the world around them that will serve them no matter what they do. That's what we have to do as a nation. That's what all of you do every day. And that's what, at root, will lead to greater opportunities and brighter horizons for the next generation and for generations to come," said Obama.