Dr. Marcia Katz (1942–2006) joined the faculty of the College of Engineering in 1977. She (MS 1972, PhD 1974) was also the first female to earn the PhD from the college. She was a 1985 American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ White House Fellow, and she served as policy advisor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and to Tennessee Senator Jim Sasser. Highly regarded as a teacher, she received the 1993 Allen & Hoshell Award for Excellence in Teaching and also received the departmental Excellence in Teaching Award. She died in a car accident March 1, 2006.