Irene Carswell Peden, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington, has paved the way for women engineers in industry and academe. She was the first American woman engineer and scientist to conduct field work in the interior of the Antarctic continent. Her research has contributed significantly to our knowledge of radio propagation and the polar ionosphere, buried antennas, the electromagnetic properties of the ice sheet, and radio propagation over long paths in the polar regions. Professor Peden's accomplishments have been recognized with membership in the National Academy of Engineering and selection as a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. She received the 1994 Centennial Medal from her undergraduate college, the University of Colorado. Named the National Science Foundation's 1993 Engineer of the Year, Professor Peden also has been inducted into the American Society of Engineering Education Hall of Fame. For her achievements advancing the use of technology to learn about our environment, and for expanding the realm of possibilities envisioned by students of science, especially women, SMU is honored to award Irene Carswell Peden the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa.