Cheryl B. Schrader became the Dean of Boise State University’s College of Engineering and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering after twenty years of leadership in academia and industry, including McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company, University of Texas at San Antonio, Rice University, and Chimera Research. She has authored more than 80 technical publications in the areas of systems and control, robotics, and intelligent systems, with biomedical, networking and aircraft applications. Her grant and contract funding exceeds seven million dollars.
Dr. Schrader received the Exemplary Online Course Award from WebCT and was Senior Fellow with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Other awards include the 2002 Engineering Excellence Award from Steven Myers & Associates for excellence in engineering, 40 Under 40 Rising Stars Award from the San Antonio Business Journal for leadership, career success and community involvement, and 2005 Idaho Women Making History Award. In 2005 the White House presented Dr. Schrader with The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring for an enduring, strong and personal commitment to underrepresented engineering students and faculty. She recently received the 2008 Hewlett-Packard/Harriett B. Rigas Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Education Society in recognition of her contribution to the profession.
Dr. Schrader currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Discovery Center of Idaho and as advisor to Highway 12 Ventures. She is Past President of the IEEE Control Systems Society, a professional organization with 9,000 members worldwide. For her many contributions to the Society, she recently received its Distinguished Member Award. She is a member of five societies of the IEEE, American Society for Engineering Education, and the Society of Women Engineers.
Dr. Schrader completed her PhD and MS degrees in control systems at the University of Notre Dame in 1990 and 1987, respectively, and received her BS degree in electrical engineering with high distinction in 1984 from Valparaiso University, where she was an honors college graduate
