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Diane Pozefsky Named to WITI Hall of Fame

Diane Pozefsky

 

Research Professor and alumna Diane Pozefsky has been named to the Women in Technology International (WITI) Hall of Fame for 2011.

Diane earned her Ph.D. from UNC in 1979 and then worked at IBM for 25 years. While at IBM, Diane worked on the design of networking architectures and their product implementations. Her 25 patents earned her the title of IBM Master Inventor in 1996. When she was named an IBM Fellow in 1994, there had only been one other woman previously given the honor. Her contributions were also recognized by her peers as they elected her to the IBM Academy of Technology and to two terms on the Academy’s governing council.

When she retired from IBM in 2004, Diane returned to UNC as a faculty member.

“Since coming back to UNC, Diane has been most committed to undergraduate education and to teaching the computer science courses for non-computer science majors – indeed, for students scared of technology,” said Dr. Fred Brooks, Kenan Professor of Computer Science and department founder. “Equally valuable has been her teaching our graduate and undergraduate COMP 523: Software Engineering Laboratory, to which she brings experience no one else on our faculty can touch. I created this course based on my own industry experience. I taught it 22 times; she does it better.”

Diane’s work with undergraduates has not gone unnoticed. She has won the undergraduate teaching award, voted on by the department’s graduating seniors, three times, most recently in May 2011. She was also instrumental in establishing an internship component to the computer science education and in getting the combined B.S.-M.S. program up and running.

Diane is one of five inductees into the WITI Hall of Fame for 2011. The WITI Hall of Fame was established in 1996 by WITI to recognize, honor, and promote the outstanding contributions women make to the scientific and technological communities that improve and evolve our society. WITI is the leading trade organization for women in technology.