James E. Armstrong Award - 2016: Catherine F. Pieronek ’84, ’95 J.D.
With this award, the late Catherine F. Pieronek ’84, ’95 J.D. is honored for her years of distinguished service to the University of Notre Dame and its students and alumni.
A native of Detroit, Pieronek graduated from Notre Dame in 1984 with a degree in aerospace engineering. She then earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1987. Pieronek worked as a senior systems engineer at TRW, where she helped develop both the Data Relay System on NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and the Chandra satellite.
She returned to Notre Dame in 1992 to attend law school and graduated magna cum laude in 1995. Soon after, Pieronek became the director of alumni relations for the Law School and editor of its quarterly publication. Interested in gender-based equity issues, she became a nationally recognized expert in Title IX issues, writing and lecturing widely on the topic.
Pieronek joined the College of Engineering in 2002, serving as its associate dean and establishing the Women’s Engineering Program to address the low enrollment of women in engineering majors. Her tireless efforts led to a 25% improvement in the retention of female engineering students and a 33% increase in the number of women choosing to study engineering at Notre Dame, while also improving male student retention.
She published and presented her research on engineering education and Title IX issues in many peer-reviewed engineering journals, several distinguished law journals, and at a number of conferences and on television shows. Pieronek also received numerous university and professional awards. In 2014, Pieronek was named a fellow of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) for having had a lasting and positive impact on engineering education.
Pieronek passed away on April 9, 2015. It was a significant loss for the Notre Dame community, but her legacy lives on through the countless alumni and students whom she mentored, befriended, and inspired.