Laura Bottomley

Bottomley was born on January 17, 1964, in Kinston, North Carolina. She was born into an academically involved family; her father was an engineer, and her mother was an English major.{{cite news |title=Tar Heel of the Week|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-tar-heel/172096329/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |publisher=The News and Observer |date=March 4, 2012|via=newspapers.com}} After being inspired by Star Trek in middle-school, Bottomley earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in engineering from Virginia Tech.{{cite web |title=Laura Bottomley |url=https://www.nae.edu/114045/Laura-Bottomley |publisher=National Academy of Engineering |access-date=May 10, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250510172730/https://www.nae.edu/114045/Laura-Bottomley |archive-date=May 10, 2025}} In 2024, Bottomley was inducted into the Virginia Tech's Academy of Distinguished Alumni.{{cite web |last1=Lancaster |first1=Brent |title=Bottomley honored by Virginia Tech as an outstanding alumna |url=https://engr.ncsu.edu/news/2024/05/02/bottomley-honored-by-virginia-tech-as-an-outstanding-alumna/ |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=May 10, 2025 |date=May 2, 2024}} While she interviewed at NASA following her Master's degree, Bottomley chose to work at AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. After two years at Bell Laboratories, she enrolled at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and earned her PhD in electrical and computer engineering.

Upon receiving her PhD, Bottomley began teaching undergraduate and graduate electrical engineering courses at Duke University. She joined the Faculty of Engineering at NCSU in 1997, and founded an engineering outreach program called "The Engineering Place" in 1999.{{cite web |last1=McBlief |first1=Kathi |title=Bottomley named ASEE Fellow |url=https://engr.ncsu.edu/news/2014/05/16/bottomley-named-asee-fellow/ |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=May 10, 2025 |date=May 16, 2014}} While she originally used her grant to develop an outreach program aimed at high schoolers, she found that earlier intervention was necessary to encourage women to join STEM fields. As such, Bottomley and 23 engineering graduate fellows went to every elementary school in the United States to redevelop science lessons so they would appeal to children with different learning styles.{{cite web |last1=Goforth |first1=Sarah |title=Classroom Science Gets a Makeover: NSF Fellows Bring Hands-on Lessons to Young Students |url=https://www.nsf.gov/news/classroom-science-gets-makeover-nsf-fellows-bring |publisher=National Science Foundation |access-date=May 10, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250228091749/https://www.nsf.gov/news/classroom-science-gets-makeover-nsf-fellows-bring |archive-date=February 28, 2025 |date=April 6, 2005}} She also became director of NCSU's Women in Engineering program and served as a consultant to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and Wake County Public Schools.{{cite web |title=President Obama Honors Outstanding Teachers and Mentors at White House |url=https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=110424 |website=webwire.com |access-date=May 10, 2025 |date=January 7, 2010}} In recognition of her efforts, Bottomley was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring in 2007 and 2009.{{cite web |title=NC State Engineer Wins Presidential Award for Excellence |url=https://news.ncsu.edu/2009/07/nc-state-engineer-wins-presidential-award-for-excellence/ |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=May 10, 2025 |date=July 13, 2009}} She also received the 2009 Meritorious Achievement Award In Informal Education from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for "leadership in developing and implementing programs that increase interest in science, math, technology and engineering education in elementary and secondary students."{{cite web |title=Educational Activities Board (EAB) Award Recipients by Last Name |url=https://www.ieee.org/education/awards/past-recipients-by-last-name |publisher=IEEE |access-date=May 10, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250104021230/https://www.ieee.org/education/awards/past-recipients-by-last-name.html |archive-date=January 4, 2025}}{{cite web |title=Bottomley Wins IEEE Award |url=https://news.ncsu.edu/2010/06/bottomley-wins-ieee-award/ |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=May 10, 2025 |date=June 28, 2010}}

In 2012, Bottomley was named the 2011 Woman of the Year by the NC Triangle Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar.{{cite web |title=Transportation group names Bottomley Woman of the Year |url=https://engr.ncsu.edu/news/2012/02/22/transportation-group-names-bottomley-woman-of-the-year/ |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=May 10, 2025 |date=February 22, 2012}} Bottomley was also named a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education. In 2016, Bottomley was named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for increasing student interest in STEM education.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/fellows/2016_elevated_fellows.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223105649/http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/fellows/2016_elevated_fellows.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 23, 2015|title=2016 Newly Elevated Fellows|website=IEEE Fellows Directory|page=5}}{{cite web |title=ECE Alumna Recognized as Leader in STEM Education by IEEE |url=https://ece.ncsu.edu/2015/ece-alumna-recognized-as-leader-in-stem-education-by-ieee/ |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=May 10, 2025 |date=December 11, 2015}} She was also the co-recipient of the a Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity for the College's Women and Minority Engineering Programs from ABET.{{cite web |last1=McBlief |first1=Kathi |title=Women and Minority Engineering Programs win diversity award |url=https://engr.ncsu.edu/news/2016/03/01/women-and-minority-engineering-programs-win-diversity-award/ |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=May 10, 2025 |date=March 1, 2016}} In 2023, Bottomley received the Sharon Keillor Award for Women in Engineering Education in recognition of her efforts to encourage women to join the field of engineering.{{cite web |title=Sharon Keillor Award for Women in Engineering Education 2023 winner: Laura Bottomley |url=https://www.asee.org/membership-and-communities/AWARDS-HONORS/Award-List/Sharon-Keillor-Award-for-Women-in-Engineering-Educ |publisher=American Society for Engineering Education |access-date=May 10, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212170931/https://www.asee.org/membership-and-communities/AWARDS-HONORS/Award-List/Sharon-Keillor-Award-for-Women-in-Engineering-Educ |archive-date=December 12, 2024}}

Bottomley married Gregory E. Bottomley in 1984. They have two children together. In 2016, Bottomley appeared in a Super Bowl commercial entitled "Doing Good with STEM."{{cite web |title=Stars in Super Bowl commercial encourage STEM for girls |url=https://abc11.com/stem-girls-in-super-bowl-commercial-nc-state/1247101/ |publisher=ABC11 |access-date=May 10, 2025 |date=March 15, 2016}}

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Category:1964 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Kinston, North Carolina

Category:Fellows of the IEEE

Category:North Carolina State University faculty

Category:Duke University faculty

Category:American electrical engineers

Category:American women engineers

Category:21st-century American women engineers

Category:21st-century American engineers

Category:Virginia Tech alumni

Category:North Carolina State University alumni