LAURA J. BOTTOMLEY is the Director of the Women in Engineering and Outreach Programs at North Carolina State University and co-owner of Science Surround, a science education business for children. Dr. Bottomley received her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University in 1992, and her MSEE and BSEE from Virginia Tech in 1984 and 1985, respectively. She has worked at AT&T Bell Labs and Duke University. Her program for Women in Engineering and K-12 Outreach was honored in 2000 with the President's Award for Excellence in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Mentoring. She is a senior member of IEEE.