Carlotta A. Berry, PhD, the Dr. Lawrence J. Giacoletto Endowed Chair for Electrical and Computer Engineering, continues reaping national teaching awards for her work as a leading undergraduate robotics educator. The latest honor is her selection as recipient of the Society of Women Engineers’ Distinguished Engineer Educator Award.

SWE annually recognizes women educators who have made significant contributions in the fields of engineering or engineering technology. Berry will receive the award October 20-22 in Houston during WE22, a gathering of more than 14,000 women engineers and technologists for professional development, education, networking, and career opportunities. 

Earlier this summer, Berry received the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ 2023 Undergraduate Teaching Award and the 2022 Distinguished Educator Award from the American Society of Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Electrical and Computer Engineering Division. She also was selected to be among the first group of college educators participating in the Open Source Hardware Association’s new Trailblazer Fellows Program. 

Berry, a member of the Rose-Hulman faculty since 2006, has brought her technical expertise and interests in mobile robotics and enhanced human-robot interfaces into the classroom. She also has been committed to excellence and innovation in multidisciplinary robotics education, research, and outreach. Berry currently co-directs Rose-Hulman’s multidisciplinary robotics program, which provides students the opportunity to earn a minor in robotics to recognize their experience and knowledge of robotics-related materials.

The Giacoletto Endowed Chair is allowing Berry to create an advanced mobile robotics course that will explore a different topic each academic quarter throughout a three-year curriculum to get students prepared for research. Berry’s work as an Open Source Hardware Association Trailblazer Fellows is allowing Rose-Hulman students to create a low-cost open source mobile robot platform that can be used for outreach, education and research. Earlier this summer she took two students to tour the University of Michigan’s new robotics department and obtain three programmable mobile robots for use in research and advanced robotics courses at Rose-Hulman. 

When not in the classroom, Berry has been an advocate for diversifying the engineering profession. She helped start two advocacy organizations, Black In Engineering and Black In Robotics, to bring awareness to systemic racism in STEM, and build community and connection among higher education allies. Berry also founded an education consulting firm, NoireSTEMinist, to provide workshops to make career fields in robotics and engineering more accessible and attractive to people of all ages and backgrounds.

At Rose-Hulman, Berry co-founded the Building Undergraduate Diversity (RoseBUD) program, which encourages students from marginalized and minoritized groups to pursue STEM careers.

Berry has developed an international social media following with her regular robotics- and engineering-related videos, including a popular Kitchen Table Circuits series that uses household items to teach basic electrical circuit concepts. She also posts virtual robotics workshops that highlight other Black and Brown STEM educators and technical experts. 

And Berry’s first fictional book, “Elevated Inferno: Monet’s Moment,” was published earlier this summer. She also finds time to post videos featuring poetry with STEM and robotics themes on YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. 

She was recently featured in a profile by Forbes.com.

Berry was named a Fellow of ASEE in 2021, has been recognized as one of 30 Women in Robotics You Need to Know About by robohub.org, and selected one of INSIGHT Into Diversity’s Inspiring Women in STEM. She received the TechPoint Foundation for Youth’s 2021 Bridge Builder Mira Award, a Leading Light Award from Indianapolis’ Women & Hi Tech organization, and FIRST Indiana Robotics’ Game Changer Award.

Learn more about Berry’s professional background and activities in her faculty profile.