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.

Nova Southeastern University in Florida, has been awarded a $963,000 grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to investigate the genetic differences among women that make them more susceptible to cancers and other diseases. Through their research, scholars at the university hope to improve early cancer detection and treatment among groups with historical health disparities.

A project led by Jill Kolesar, dean and professor of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Iowa, has received a $10 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health program within the United States Department of Health and Human services. The project aims to test a new ovarian cancer treatment method that uses extracellular vesicles to target and eliminate ovarian cancer cells. The research team will first test their method in mice, and if successful, will continue their research in human trials.

Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania has received a $375,000 grant from the United States Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. Over the next three years, the funds will be used to develop violence prevention training and educational initiatives for students and faculty, increase culturally specific resources to better support students from underrepresented backgrounds, and enhance the university’s existing Violence Intervention and Prevention Center programs.

Becky White, associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has received a $677,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to support HIV prevention among African American women as they transition from incarceration back into their communities. The research project aims to develop a model for community health workers to connect women who have recently been released from criminal justice systems with local re-entry councils and health centers.

Mariana Abarca, assistant professor of biological sciences at Smith College, a liberals arts educational institution for women in Northampton, Massachusetts, has received a $487,916 grant from the National Science Foundation for her project, “BRC-BIO: Plant-Herbivore Interactions in Novel Communities and Environments.” The research will build on Dr. Abarca’s ongoing work as an insect ecologist studying plant-insect interactions from a global change perspective.