Funding from the Henry Luce Foundation will support Simmons’ efforts to advance student success, retention, and confidence in STEM-related fields as well as a Clare Boothe Luce Professorship.
Simmons University has been awarded more than $725,000 in grant funding from the prestigious Henry Luce Foundation to support its students pursuing STEM careers and a female faculty member in the Chemistry and Physics Department.
Two separate grants will fund scholarships for students pursuing accelerated dual-degree engineering and STEM-related bachelor’s degrees and support a Clare Boothe Luce Professorship for female faculty member Dr. Shreya Bhattacharyya, who is also an Associate Teaching Professor in chemistry at Simmons.
“As a women-centered institution, Simmons is uniquely positioned to help students thrive and lead in a wide variety of STEM careers,” said Dr. Bhattacharyya. “I am deeply honored to receive the Clare Boothe Luce Professorship, which is dedicated to supporting women faculty in science and engineering who are passionate about research, teaching and advancing opportunities for women in STEM.”
The grants will also enable Simmons to launch two new STEM enrichment programs, boosting students’ confidence, retention and success in STEM education and preparation and addressing common barriers preventing long-term success in these fields.
Promoting Women in STEM Fields
The Clare Boothe Luce Program is renowned for its commitment to advancing women in STEM. Simmons offers Boston’s only women-centered undergraduate program, and 70 percent of the University’s STEM students reside in Massachusetts — making them a vital part of the Commonwealth’s STEM economy and workforce.
“Despite some progress, women are still significantly underrepresented in many STEM fields — comprising only about a third of the total STEM workforce in the U.S., and even less in leadership positions,” said Dr. Paul Geisler, Dean of Simmons University’s School of Sciences and Health Professions. “The STEM gender gap, which often forms early in a child’s education, can have lifelong consequences for students and our economy. We are honored to receive these two grants, which will support our efforts to promote women’s retention, success and belonging in these majors so that students can succeed here at Simmons, in graduate and professional schools and achieve rewarding careers in Massachusetts’ booming STEM-related economy.”
Because of the grant funding, Simmons will continue to build students’ skills, confidence and identities in STEM majors and create more inclusive and supportive learning environments that feature mentoring, networking, and peer collaboration — particularly for female students, students of color, and first-generation students. In addition, it will allow Simmons to address specific core competencies necessary for students to succeed in these fields.
Boosting Confidence and Proficiency in Mathematics
One of the significant barriers preventing students from pursuing STEM careers is first-year college readiness — especially in math. With this funding, Simmons will work with students to better map the math skills necessary for their chosen career paths while assessing high school student preparation and implementing strategies that boost student confidence and proficiency. In addition, Simmons faculty will create new math modules to enhance skills and show students how math is integrated into other STEM fields, such as chemistry, physics, and biology. Faculty intend to share the modules with Boston Public Schools for use in their own classrooms.
“Math continues to be a challenge for many Massachusetts students, particularly among young women, first-generation students, and other underserved populations,” added Dean Geisler. “Often, math-related anxiety, more than ability, is a barrier to interest, confidence, and success in a STEM field. This gender gap appears well before college and can negatively impact a student’s confidence and ability to pursue higher-level STEM coursework, research and, ultimately, employment. Simmons’ unique women-centered focus enables us to address these gaps and prepare students to thrive in their chosen STEM professions.”
The grant funding from the Henry Luce Foundation complements Simmons’ other key initiatives to advance women in STEM. This includes grant funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to help increase the retention of women in STEM fields, a six-week SURPASs paid summer internship program that allows undergraduate students to write and execute a research proposal in collaboration with a faculty mentor and a major grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to build capacity and belonging for students who have been historically excluded from the sciences.