Rada Mihalcea, associate professor of computer science and engineering, is among the 100  researchers nationwide to earn a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. It is the highest honor a beginning scientist or engineer can receive in the United States. Mihalcea attended a ceremony at the White House in January, where she met President Barack Obama. She is the only professor at any Dallas-Fort Worth university to earn the 2009 recognition and was recommended for the award by the National Science Foundation. She received the NSF’s prestigious CAREER award in 2008.