February 2007

On Campus

NSF Grant Seeks Women in Science

Efforts to recruit female students in chemistry and related fields have received a major boost from an almost half-million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation.

The grant will allow Viterbo to offer 20 scholarships to women studying chemistry, biochemistry, or biotechnology. The renewable four-year scholarships, combined with traditional financial aid, will assure recipients of $12,000–14,000 a year.

“We’re very excited to be able to provide students with these special Community of Learners Achieving Science Success scholarships and get more women involved in the chemical sciences,” said Kyle Backstrand, Viterbo chemistry department chair.

To qualify, applicants must be women who have an ACT test score of 24 or higher, a GPA of 3.3 or higher, and have financial need. In addition, the grant will also fund student support services such as tutoring, career development, and a new course designed to help students succeed in the field of science.

“Many new programs will be started because of this grant,” Backstrand said. “And, if successful, Viterbo has vowed to continue them when the grant expires. Much has been written in the popular press recently about the shortage of females in the sciences, and Viterbo has plans to specifically target qualified women.”