Polly Olson, director of the Department of Allied Sciences, received the 2010 President’s Award from the North Dakota Society for Respiratory Care. This honor was presented at the society's annual conference held in Minot, N.D., on April 19-21, and recognizes an individual’s service to respiratory care.

Olson joined NDSU in 1997 as a lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences. In 2006, she became the director of the new Department of Allied Sciences in the College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Sciences. She earned a bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy from the University of Mary, Bismarck, N.D., and master’s degree in vocational education from the University of North Dakota.

Olson is a licensed registered respiratory therapist and certified pulmonary function technologist. Prior to coming to NDSU, she worked as a respiratory therapist at St. Alexius, Altru and MeritCare hospitals. She taught in respiratory care programs in East Grand Forks, Minn., and at St. Alexius in Bismarck.

Her contributions to respiratory care include serving on the North Dakota Society of Respiratory Care board of directors as president-elect, president and past-president, publication's chair, Webmaster and member of the North Dakota Tobacco Policy Initiative Steering Committee, Minnesota/North Dakota Coalition for Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Political Action Contract Team.

At NDSU, she is involved directly with respiratory care as a member of the MeritCare Respiratory Care Advisory Board, Consortial and Curriculum Committees and was adviser for the NDSU Respiratory Care Club.