Holyoke College. She is a recipient of the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, as well as a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. In 2008, Aidala received the Cottrell College Science Award for beginning faculty members from the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement. Her research has been published in Nature Physics, Physical Review Letters, and Nano Letters. Kathy is also the founder and organizer of the SciTech Cafe.