Grants or Gifts Relating to Women in Higher Education

Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.

Meredith College, the liberal arts educational institution for women in Raleigh, North Carolina, received a $997,077 grant from the National Science Foundation to support programs aimed at increasing the number of women pursuing degrees in STEM fields. The college will launch the Advancing Women’s Education in STEM (AWE-STEM) Scholars Program that will offer merit and need-based $4,500 scholarships to women pursuing degrees in STEM fields.

The University of Virginia received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the Susan G. Komen organization for research on how diet can reduce the spread of breast cancer. Melanie Rutkowski, an assistant professor in the School of Medicine will investigate the relationship between the microorganism that naturally live in the human body and the immune system’s response to breast cancer. And she will see how diet can impact this process. Dr. Rutkowski holds a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology and a Ph.D. in veterinary molecular biology from Montana State University.

Albany State University in Georgia received a $300,000 grant from the Office of Violence Against Women of the U.S. Department of Justice for programs to prevent sexual assaults, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking on campus. The grant will fund education programs, bystander intervention training, and support for victims of sexual assault.

Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, received a $120,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to fund undergraduate research programs for women students. Over three years, 30 women in undergraduate programs in mathematics, physical science, and computer science will participate in 10-week summer research projects.