The National Science Foundation (NSF) named Dr. Lara A. Thompson, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of the District of Columbia, one of three 2022 Alan T. Waterman Award recipients. This award is NSF's highest honor that annually recognizes an outstanding researcher who is 40 years or younger or not more than 10 years beyond receipt of the Ph.D. degree, by December 31 of the year of the nomination. The award funds the recipient's research in any field of science or engineering. This year, each awardee will receive a $1 million grant over a five-year period for further advanced study in his or her field. Dr. Thompson is recognized for her innovative research that combines multidisciplinary approaches in engineering, sensor technology, and sensory-motor physiology to investigate and improve clinical diagnostics on human posture, gait, and balance for those impaired by age, trauma, and disease. The revolutionary approaches developed by Thompson are advancing the field of rehabilitation engineering and biomechanics and improving the quality-of-life for mobility impaired populations. Dr. Thompson has trailblazed new research initiatives and educational programs and spearheaded new infrastructure tied to biomedical engineering. In many of her 59 publications, undergraduate research assistants are co-authors. She received a Diverse Issues in Higher Education Emerging Scholar National Award in 2017 and a Black Engineer of the Year STEM innovat