Texas A&M University’s Women in Engineering Program recently received funding to create the Clare Boothe Luce Scholars Program. The grant awards $250,000 to fund eight undergraduate students as they complete research within their respective departments.
“The competitive grant was awarded to Texas A&M because the university is an institution committed to supporting women’s pursuits in academia and research,” said Shawna Fletcher, the director of Women in Engineering.
The program benefits undergraduate students by providing an opportunity to pursue research for three years. It also helps better prepare them for future academic success in graduate school.
Established by Clare Boothe Luce in 1987, the grant provided $7 million in funding to support women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, with 23 grant awards this past year. These grants will provide opportunities and support for 89 women across the country in schools such as Johns Hopkins University and Dartmouth College, as well as the eight students from Texas A&M.
The Clare Boothe Luce grant provides stipends for students to perform up to 20 hours per week in research labs during the fall and spring semesters for three years. The Women in Engineering Program is targeting freshman and sophomore students with an interest in research that will lead them to pursue graduate education.
Applications for this opportunity will be released in February with a deadline of mid-March. The Clare Boothe Luce Foundation will confirm awardees in May and students will begin research starting in August 2017.