The Polish scholar specializes in geomatic engineering, including GPS algorithms and mobile mapping.

Grejner-Brzezińska, a graduate of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, who has lived in the USA for over 20 years, is a Fulbright scholarship holder affiliated with Ohio State University, where she is a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering.

An accomplished researcher, she has published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles and received numerous awards and distinctions.

In February this year she was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering as the first woman from her university. The NAE cited her contributions to geodetic science and satellite navigation.

Grejner-Brzezinska`s early research helped build more reliable GPS navigation, now built into today`s smartphones. Her research was used by NASA, she also cooperated with the US Department of Defence.

After being elected to the National Academy of Engineering, Grejner-Brzezińska admitted that she was attracted to her profession by maps and the process for creating them. She said she hoped to inspire young female engineers and emphasized that some of her best students had always been women.

"I hope this will be empowering to women, to say to themselves that they can do it because they are smart and there is really no limit to their talent and imagination. I would say to them: +You are all doing the right thing. Just trust your abilities and trust your work+," she said.

From Washington Mateusz Obremski (PAP)

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