Patti Abraham of Mississippi State University is the Mississippi Education Computing Association's "Technology Educator of the Year."
The annual award recognizes persons "who have fostered and promoted effective use of technology in the classroom and have made significant positive contributions to the field."
Abraham is an associate professor of business education in the department of technology and education. A Philadelphia native, she has taught at the university for 10 years.
The honor recognizes Abraham's achievements through the Computer Discovery Classrooms, a part of the Tech Prep initiative developed several years ago by the university and the state Department of Education that relates secondary education to the working world. She has helped junior high school teachers throughout the state learn the latest methods in computer-use and technology instruction.
"We wanted to choose the candidate who had not only made the most contributions, but also had been involved with many different phases of technology," said Billy Collins of Grenada, chair of the award committee. "Dr. Abraham more than fit our criteria with her publications, presentations and training activities."
Abraham holds bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Mississippi State.
Larry Anderson, a founding member of MECA, said Abraham "has touched almost every teacher in this state through her work." Anderson, a faculty colleague of Abraham, received the honor in 1994.
"I am very excited to receive this award, but I'm more excited that over half the eighth-grade students in this state are now enrolled in the Computer Discovery class," Abraham said. "It's great to see so many children have the opportunity to learn more about technology in state- of-the-art computer labs.
"The success of this program is a testament to Mississippi State and its desire to lead Mississippi into the future."