SEAS receives $300,000 Clare Boothe Luce Program award


May 9, 2018

The Clare Boothe Luce Program has awarded SEAS $300,000 to support an undergraduate research program that will enable undergraduate female SEAS students to pursue research with guidance from faculty mentors, hone their professional skills, and establish themselves as university leaders. Dr. Rachelle Heller will serve as the academic lead on the program.

Four female sophomore students have been selected for 2018-2019--the first cohort of the program--and an additional four students will be selected in 2019.  Funding for each scholarship will total $37,250 and will cover academic year and summer stipends, and money for research materials, supplies, and travel to a professional conference. 

Our four Clare Boothe Luce Scholars are:

Anastasia Carr

Anastasia Carr

Department: Biomedical Engineering
Research Proposal: “The Transient Outward Potassium Channel (Ito): Contribution and Modulation of Human Cardiac Repolarization”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Igor Efimov

Bianca Karpenecz

Bianca Karpenecz

Department: Biomedical Engineering
Research Proposal: “Ultrasound-enhanced Drug Delivery for Treatment of Parasitic and Fungal Eye Diseases”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Vesna Zderic

Meghana Tallam

Meghana Tallam

Department: Biomedical Engineering
Research Proposal: “CUBIC As an Alternative ‘Clearing’ Method for Creating Hydrogel-based Structures in Organs”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew Kay

Rachel Gray

Rachel Gray

Department: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research Proposal: “Magnesium Silicide Analysis for Additive Manufacturing by Selective Laser Melting”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Saniya LeBlanc

Read more about our four scholars in the GW Today article, “Four GW Women Named Clare Boothe Luce Scholars.”

The GW Today article “Research Scholarships to Support Women in Engineering" provides more background on the scholarship program.