New York, June 8: L'Oreal USA announced today
the recipients of its esteemed 2006 Fellowships for Women In Science at an
awards ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Five young women, all on the cutting-edge of scientific advances, were
awarded $20,000 each to carry out research projects. Now in its third year,
the highly selective L'Oreal USA Fellows program recognizes and rewards
up-and-coming female scientists from across the country and disciplines.
While the scientific competence of men and
women may be on an equal footing, there is an undeniable divergence between
men's and women's careers in the sciences after they reach their late 20s
and early 30s. At each successive stage on the career path, women drop out
at higher rates than men. For women in science, the critical years occur
during the transition from post-doctoral student to becoming a career
scientist, which often coincides with starting a family. The L'Oreal USA
Fellowships encourage young women to continue their careers in science, by
both supporting them financially and helping them strengthen their networks
in the scientific community.
"The world benefits from many new discoveries
that scientists and their research yield, and the need for trained
scientists and researchers has increased," said Laurent Attal, President and
CEO, L'Oreal USA. "Women continue to be underrepresented in many important
scientific disciplines and L'Oreal believes that more can be done to
encourage and support women in all fields of science. We firmly believe that
science needs women."
Drawing from a competitive pool of talented
post-doctoral researchers, the L'Oreal USA Fellowships for Women In Science
enable young scientists to continue working toward breakthroughs in their
research. Women scientists like these Fellows often serve as inspirational
role models, encouraging girls across the country to stay interested in
science.
The 2006 L'Oreal USA Fellows include Dr.
Michelle Povinelli - Stanford University, Stanford, California - optics and
photonics engineer, considered to be one of the most outstanding young
scientists in the emerging area of nano-photonic devices and systems. Dr.
Povinelli is focusing on slow light in photonic-crystal structures and
leading an effort to purse enhancement of frequency conversion process in
non cavity structures. Dr. Povinelli's research project will study slow
light in two other types of engineered photonic devices (optical fibers and
superconducting qubits) with the goal of developing practical engineering
applications.
The L'OREAL USA Fellowships For Women in
Science program, which has recognized 15 U.S. women with distinction since
its launch in 2003, is a component of the international L'OREAL-UNESCO For
Women in Science program. This multi-dimensional program includes the
L'OREAL-UNESCO Awards, presented annually to five leading women career
scientists, one per continent, and the UNESCO-L'OREAL International
Fellowships, granted annually to 15 promising young women scientists
(doctorate or post-doctorate) from the regions of Africa, the Arab States,
Asia/Pacific, Europe/North America and Latin America/Caribbean.
Since the L'OREAL-UNESCO For Women in Science
international program started in 1998, 132 women from 60 countries have been
recognized for their contributions to scientific progress. The program seeks
to encourage women scientists to persevere under sometimes challenging
circumstances, such as social stigmas and gender biases. By giving women in
science a public face, the program aims to provide the next generation of
women scientists with inspirational role models.
In 2006, L'Oreal and UNESCO launched AGORA,
an online forum that focuses on women and science. The community of eminent
international scientists, including Nobel laureates, as well as all
L'OREAL-UNESCO Award Laureates and Fellows, are invited to share their ideas
and experiences of various issues, including those concerning women in
science. For more information, please visit:
www.agora.forwomeninscience.com.
