Fountain was among 114 women nominated by Georgia’s science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) community for various Women of the Year awards presented on Nov. 14 at the Georgia Aquarium. The awards honor outstanding women whose accomplishments as technology leaders and whose impact on the community deserve attention and applause.

In 1991 Fountain joined the Georgia Tech Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing, which coordinates Georgia Tech’s K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach. At CEISMC, Fountain focused on programs to encourage teachers to use hands-on activities in science classrooms. The programs aimed to motivate girls and women to pursue STEM careers.

Fountain joined GTRI in 1996. Her career at GTRI spans diverse technical disciplines, including electromagnetic scattering measurements and simulations, antenna design, radar cross- section reduction, and intelligence analysis.

Initially, she focused on radar cross-section values measured from airborne or space-based platforms. She also studied use of electromagnetic codes to predict performance of wide-band, coplanar antennas being developed by GTRI. In 2016, she led the Intelligence Analysis Branch in the Signals and Systems Division of the Advanced Concepts Laboratory at GTRI. In 2018, she became chief of the division.

For the past 27 years, WIT has been empowering girls and women to excel in STEAM by providing education, exposure and experience. They also support women already in technology careers through professional development programs.