Professor De Palma has made many contributions toward improving the climate of women through her scholarship, teaching and service. As the recipient of two grants from the National Science Foundation, De Palma undertook research as part of the "National Girls Collaborative Project," to introduce and prepare girls and minority students in grades 5-12 for careers in Computer Science and Information Technology. Another grant entitled, "Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities," enabled De Palma to develop a learning cluster of thematically linked courses connected to a service learning project that involved the nearby Latino community.