Carolina Ilie
State University of New York at Oswego
For notable accomplishments and contributions to Sigma Xi and the Chapter at Oswego earning the National Sigma Xi Chapter Program of Excellence Award in 2013 and 2018, and the Sigma-Xi Chapter Program Award for distinguished performance for "Science Today Lecture on Women in STEM."
Quote
"Sigma Xi offered me multiple opportunities for different roles in my life. As a graduate student at University of Nebraska at Lincoln, I participated every year in the Sigma Xi conference and in my last year in graduate school it felt natural when I received the best poster award for my research. As a new faculty member, I was invited to become a Sigma Xi member and an officer, and I enjoyed organizing, with my fellow officers, student activities and honoring them for their research presentations. At the national level, it is always an honor contributing to the National Sigma Xi conference. The passion, camaraderie, and scientific curiosity in this organization are the reasons I love being part of Sigma Xi. I am very honored and happy to become a Sigma Xi Fellow.
Sincere thanks to Sigma Xi’s Board of Directors and Committee on Qualifications and Membership, in particular to President Robert T. Pennock, Executive Director and CEO Jamie L. Vernon, and to Chair of the Committee on Qualifications and Membership Emma S. Perry. I am also very grateful to my mentor, Dr. Peter Dowben, Charles Bessey Professor, University of Nebraska at Lincoln for his continuous support and to Dr. Ampalavanar Nanthakumar, Sigma Xi Fellow, for his encouragement during my first years as Sigma Xi officer and for nominating me for this award. I am also grateful to my colleagues and fellow officers Dr. Marianne Hromalik and Dr. Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan for their letters of support."
Biography
Carolina C. Ilie is a professor of physics at State University of New York – Oswego. She has a Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy from University of Nebraska at Lincoln (adviser and mentor Dr. Peter Dowben), master's degrees in Physics from the Ohio State University (Dr. William Saam) and in semiconductor physics from University of Bucharest, Romania (Dr. Minola Leonovici and Dr. Brandusa Iliescu). She is the recipient of the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence (2016) and of Provost’s Award for Mentoring in Scholarly and Creative Activity (2013).
Ilie’s research is focused on condensed matter: inorganic perovskite photovoltaics, molecule adsorption on polymers, magnetic materials. She is also interested in physics education, women in STEM, and she was the mentor of many talented women and man who landed careers in nanotechnology, energy, aerospace engineering, computing, or education. For more than five years she is the recipient of Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellowship and brought more than ten students for summer research to University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Her students won many regional and national awards and are coauthors in many publications.
Ilie enjoys challenging her students and she published two books of problems on electromagnetism and electrodynamics with her alumni and students. She served as Sigma Xi officer for more than ten years and as Sigma Xi President for more than five years. During this time, Sigma Xi SUNY Oswego Chapter earned three national awards. Ilie’s passion in teaching and mentoring students is demonstrated by the impressive number of student conference presentations (more than 250), papers, and by her students’ success in establishing great careers in industry, teaching, or research.
Ilie is passionate about teaching and taught a variety of physics courses, from classical mechanics, electrodynamics, materials science to quantum mechanics and optics laboratories. She obtained the ACUE/ACE Association of College and University Educators and American Council on Education Certificate in College Instruction and is staying current with the recent trends in physics education research.
She enjoys picturesque upstate New York and is grateful to share her passion for travel, music, and books with her husband and their two sons.