Three wind industry professionals were honored at the Women of Wind Energy's (WoWE) annual luncheon at the American Wind Energy Association's WINDPOWER 2013 Conference in Chicago this week.
Ian Baring-Gould, senior mechanical engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, received the Champion Award. WoWE says this newest award seeks to honor an individual who has significantly contributed to the advancement of women in the field of renewable energy.
Lucille Olszewski was honored with the Woman of the Year Award, which recognizes a woman who stands out for her leadership, inspiration and significant contributions to the expansion and improvement of renewable energy completed at the highest level. During her 30 years in the industry, Olszewski has assessed over 9,000 MW of planned capacity and sited over 14,000 wind turbines, as well as pioneered radio telemetry systems for meteorological data collection.
Julie Lundquist, assistant professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was honored with the Rising Star Award. This award is given to a woman who is relatively new to wind energy and is already making significant professional contributions by demonstrating talent, dedication and innovation in her renewable energy work.
"Highlighting and recognizing the stories of incredible women and men like this year's WoWE Annual Award winners is critical not only to recognizing and appreciating their successes, but also to help other women in the sector see role models and new career pathways," says Kristen Graf, WoWE executive director.
