$200,000 from Clare Boothe Luce Program Will Support Female Science Majors

Each Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholar will receive two years of research funding

WOOSTER, Ohio, Dec. 1, 2011 – The Clare Boothe Luce Program of the Henry Luce Foundation has awarded The College of Wooster a four-year, $200,000 grant to support female science majors pursuing research in the physical sciences.

The grant will allow the college to select up to four Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholars each year and provide them with two years of research support, including stipends during the academic year and the summer, funds for research expenses, and travel to conferences. The students also will work with Wooster faculty as counselors and mentors for junior and senior high school girls interested in science, through existing programs such as B-Wiser and Expand Your Horizons.

Students selected for the program will have a demonstrated interest in science, as evidenced by intent to major in a STEM field, and in pursuing research. Each Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholar will commit to working with a faculty member on research for two years. Preference will be given to applications from first-year students.

Since its first grants in 1989, the Clare Boothe Luce Program has become the single most significant source of private support for women in science, mathematics, and engineering. Clare Boothe Luce, the widow of Henry R. Luce, was a playwright, journalist, U.S. ambassador to Italy, and the first woman elected to Congress from Connecticut. In her bequest establishing the program, she sought “to encourage women to enter, study, graduate, and teach” in science, mathematics, and engineering.

The College of Wooster is America’s premier college for mentored undergraduate research. Every Wooster senior works one-on-one with a faculty adviser to create an original research project, written work, performance or art exhibit. Founded in 1866, the college enrolls approximately 2,000 students.