Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.
North Carolina Central University in Durham received a $200,000 grant from the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. The grant will fund uterine fibroid tumor research by Darlene K. Taylor, an associate professor of chemistry. Part of the money will be used to hold a conference entitled “Uterine Fibroids: What Every Woman Needs to Know.” Dr. Taylor is a graduate of Goucher College in Maryland. She holds a master’s degree from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro and a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in physical polymer chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, the University of Illinois, the University of Minnesota, Illinois Wesleyan University and the University of Massachusetts-Boston are sharing a five-year, $480,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the New Green Revolution for Africa and its impact on women farmers. The research will focus on the countries of Mozambique, Cote d”Ivoire, and Mali. The lead researcher is Rachel A. Schurman, a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Schurman is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She holds a master’s degree from Tufts University and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The University of Oklahoma received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop short-term breast cancer risk prediction models that aim to help increase cancer detection from MRIs.
Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, received a two-year $100,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for research on unmet service needs of women who are victims of domestic violence. The grant program is under the direction of Nicole Overstreet, an assistant professor of psychology at Clark University. Dr. Overstreet is a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Geneco comes to her new role from Tufts University in Massachusetts, where she has served as provost for the past four years. She is slated become the University at Buffalo's first woman president on August 10.
The new presidents are Laurie A. Boeding at the Technical College of the Lowcountry and Melissa Frank-Alston at Northeastern Technical College. Both women are expected to begin their presidencies on July 1.
Dr. McEwen comes to her new appointment following four years as president and vice chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto. Earlier, she served in several leadership roles at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She received some of her education in the United States.
The new provosts are Barbara Rodriguez at the University of New Mexico, Bridget Chalk at Manhattan University in New York, and Jaci Lederman at Vincennes University in Indiana. All three women had been serving as their university's interim provost.
Dr. Howard joins Spelman from Ohio State University, where she has been serving as dean of the College of Engineering. She is a nationally recognized expert in robotics, artificial intelligence, and human-centered technology.