Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.
Vanderbilt University received grants valued at $3 million for research on new therapies for breast cancer patients. The researchers will conduct clinical trails to test novel therapies and determine why some are more successful than others.
The Research Institute on Addictions at the University at Buffalo of the State University of New York System received a two-year, $700,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop strategies to prevent sexual assaults on college campuses. The research will focus on ways to reduce alcohol consumption. Maria Tester, a senior research scientist and one of the principal investigators, stated that women are never to blame for sexual assault – that fault lies solely with the perpetrator – but women may be able to reduce their risk by recognizing and changing behaviors.
The University of Maryland at College Park received a three-year, $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for programs to increase the participation of women and members of underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines. The study will explore diversity and participation in the STEM field by examining a variety of issues, including the role of race/ethnicity and gender in study partners and peer groups and the likelihood of STEM students of certain backgrounds experiencing discrimination from faculty. The research is under the direction of Julie L. Park, an assistant professor of education at the University of Maryland. Dr. Park is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the author of When Diversity Drops: Race, Religion, and Affirmative Action in Higher Education (Rutgers University Press, 2013).