Funding Opportunities

Myra Sadker Foundation Grants

The Myra Sadker Foundation works to advance gender equity within and outside of educational settings by promoting research, programs, and practices that directly or indirectly affect the lives of children. To support these goals, the foundation provides several scholarships and awards to teachers and students who promote gender equity through research and practice. The foundation grants teacher awards, undergraduate scholarships, and dissertation awards in amounts up to $2,000 to deserving applicants. For full descriptions of each award and application information, visit www.sadker.org/awards.html.

Women in Science Award--Maria Mitchell Association

Each year the Maria Mitchell Association awards $5,000 to someone who has worked to advance women and girls in scientific fields (natural and physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, computer science, technology). Last year’s award, which focused on efforts made to promote science in K-12 education, went to Cynthia A. Brossman, director of the LERNet Center at Boston University. For information about past and future awards, visit the Maria Mitchell Association’s Web site: www.mmo.org.

American Association of University Women Fellowships

The American Association of University Women is “one of the world's largest sources of funding exclusively for graduate women,” providing resources to “aspiring scholars around the globe, teachers and activists in local communities, women at critical stages of their careers, and those pursuing professions where women are underrepresented” (from the Web site). Among the many funding opportunities offered are engineering dissertation awards ($20,000); master’s and first professional awards ($5000-$12,000); and career development grants ($2,000-$12,000). For full descriptions of each award and application information, as well as an overview of all AAUW’s funding opportunities, visit www.aauw.org/fga/fellowships_grants/index.cfm.

Call for Papers

American Society for Engineering Education

The American Society for Engineering Education invites paper submissions for its 2008 conference, to be held June 22-25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Women in Engineering division specifically invites 300-word abstracts on the following topics: “outreach and recruitment of women engineering students (including K-12); retention programs and activities for undergraduate and graduate women engineering students; recruitment and retention activities for women faculty and administrators (including advancement training, work/life balance and dual-career issues); climate issues for women in engineering; innovative women in engineering programs; universities’ programs, policies or reviews related to women in engineering (including Title IX); innovative programs that combine minority and women recruitment and retention; and new research related to women in engineering” (from the Web site). For conference information and submission details, visit www.asee.org/conferences/annual/2008/Call-for-Papers.cfm

Programs and Projects

Professional Science Masters’ Programs

Since 1997, the Sloan Foundation’s Professional Science Master’s (PSM) initiative has worked to establish master’s degree programs that allow students to pursue professionally-geared graduate work in the natural sciences and mathematics. In offering degrees with greater flexibility, shorter time commitments, and more focused professional training than the typical PhD, the PSM program has opened another door to careers in the STEM disciplines for women (54 percent of graduates are female). For more information about PSM degree programs, visit www.sciencemasters.com.