Pamela Abshire

Dr. Pamela Abshire, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and the Institute for Systems Research, is the recipient of the 2011 E. Robert Kent Teaching Award for Junior Faculty. Dr. Abshire was recognized for teaching senior courses in microelectronics, including one circuits course that she created, Analog and Digital Electronics II, so that students could focus on project design in their capstone coursework. Students who have taken her microelectronics courses stated that her teaching prepared them for success in industry or graduate school with her emphasis on practical applications. In addition to her teaching duties, Dr. Abshire is noted for advising a record number of student independent research projects–55 undergraduate and 97 graduate. Colleagues commended her leadership on grants, accreditation activities and overseeing the capstone design course system in her department. Her student evaluations are well above average. One student noted that "Dr. Abshire is so passionate about everything she does that it is infectious."