“It is a great compliment to be included with so many talented Georgia women as a Woman of the Year recipient,” Loper said. “I have been extremely fortunate to work for people that understand the value of mentoring, education and community service, and have supported my commitment to working with students, teachers, STEM groups and researchers. My desire is to be a positive role model and help people see that this career path can enable them to have a positive impact on the lives of others.”

Loper was named the winner at the Nov. 10 banquet held at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel Galleria. Women in Technology, one of three organizations that merged to form the Technology Association of Georgia in 1999, recognized 52 honorees at the event.

With more than 25 years of experience in modeling and simulation, Principal Research Scientist Loper created the Georgia Tech Modeling and Simulation Research and Education Center (MRSEC), bringing together both academic faculty and GTRI researchers for the advancement of simulation technology. She joined GTRI as a research scientist in 1995, and received her doctorate in Computer Science from Georgia Tech in 2002.

"We are very proud of Margaret's Women of the Year in Technology award," said ICL (formerly ITTL) Director Jim McGarrah. "In addition to playing a critical role in ICL by her being my chief scientist and chief strategist, she has a passion for stimulating interest in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] education. It's exciting to see that her contributions to both GTRI and society are recognized by this award."