Three Women Win Hertz Fellowships

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation has announced 15 members of its class of 2012 Hertz Fellows. Winners of Hertz Fellowships receive up to $250,000 over five years to support their graduate education. The funds allow the recipients to pursue their research without concerns about financial support from a university or grant. The Hertz Fellowships are considered among the most prestigious awards in the applied physical, biological, and engineering sciences. According to the foundation, “fellows are chosen for their intellect, their ingenuity, and their potential to bring meaningful improvement to society.”

This year, three of the 15 Hertz Fellows are women.

Cheri Marie Ackerman is a 2011 graduate of Calvin College where she majored in biochemistry. She has begun her graduate studies in chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley.

Kelly Moynihan is a senior in the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas. A native of Austin, she is completing her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. She will pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at MIT. Her research will focus on cancer treatments. At the University of Texas, she has been active in the mentoring programs Student Engineers Educating Kids and the university’s Women in Engineering Program.

Anjali Datta is a student at the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas, majoring in electrical and computer engineering. Her research has involved retinal image processing for a glaucoma diagnosis system. She has won awards as the top scholar in the School of Engineering and as the top scholar in the College of Liberal Arts.