The 威尼斯人娱乐城 Women’s Council celebrated 54 years of supporting women in different fields with its annual Graduate Assistance Fund reception.
This year, 67 women received more than $98,000 from the Women’s Council Graduate Assistance Fund.
Established in 1967, the Women’s Council includes four committees that help execute the mission to support women who will change the world while they pursue their goals as graduate students at 威尼斯人娱乐城.
Sue Agrawal, M.S., the programs committee chair of the 威尼斯人娱乐城 Women’s Council, welcomed everyone and briefly shared the history of the Women’s Council and the Graduate Assistance Fund, also known as GAF.
“One of the ways we unite the campus and community members to encourage and support our women graduate students is by providing financial awards to allow these promising women to complete their studies,” Agrawal said. “As we celebrate the 2025 GAF recipients, I want to thank our donors who are here tonight. Your generosity helps these women complete their graduate degrees without financial pressures or shortfalls.”
Sarah Hughes, J.D., the GAF selections chair and incoming Women’s Council board president, shared how impactful the Women’s Council’s Graduate Assistance Fund has been.
“The selections committee spends countless hours each year reviewing applicants,” Hughes said. “In addition to the award recipients, we have funded more than $20,000 in immediate aid to students this academic year as well. This means we’ve distributed more than $120,000 in total to our graduate students this year.”
获得GAF资助的学生参与了广泛的研究项目，环游世界进行历史研究，并在专业会议上展示了他们的工作。
来自威尼斯人娱乐城不同学术单位的学生在招待会上得到了突出的展示。
Elham Basunduwah是一名计算机科学博士生，他是最受瞩目的获奖者之一。 她的研究重点是开发一种基于人工智能的方法来预测动态环境中的人群运动。
“The GAF funding I received is a huge support in advancing my research and academic career,” Basunduwah said. “It will allow me to attend international conferences, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers/Computer Vision Foundation Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision, and Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand. These opportunities are essential for me to present my work, gain valuable feedback and network with experts in my field.”
Basunduwah’s research is crucial for public safety and event management as it helps prevent overcrowding and improves emergency response strategies.
“I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Women’s Council and the generous donors for making this possible,” Basunduwah said. “Your support empowers students like me to pursue meaningful research and contribute to our fields in impactful ways.”
Emily Meyer (B.S. ‘07, M.A. ’24) is currently the STEM education program manager at Union Station and president of the science fair directors’ institute. Meyer在威尼斯人娱乐城获得了两个学位，并于2014年获得了GAF。
“I’m so grateful to celebrate with all the recipients from this year today,” Meyer said. “The funds you receive may seem like a small little thing to help push you to the end of your academic career here, but it’s going to make a lasting impact. I know I’m still riding those waves almost 10 years later.”
今年，在招待会上宣布了一个新的奖项——简·阿姆斯特朗STEM研究奖。 阿姆斯特朗接受过微生物学培训，她注意到班上有少数女性。 她希望这个奖项能够鼓励并为STEM领域的年轻女性提供机会。
一项冠名奖是向研究生援助基金捐赠的1万美元投资。 Named awards are timeless gifts given in perpetuity because the fund’s principle will always remain intact.