The WPI Women’s Impact Network (WIN) has awarded $224,779 in grant funding this year, selecting 16 proposals to receive WIN Impact Grants and boosting the amount it has awarded to support initiatives from the WPI community to the million-dollar mark since the group began distributing funds in 2017.
WIN is a group of WPI alumnae, parents, and friends whose mission is to provide pathways to advance women at WPI through support of critical activities that create a positive impact in the WPI community. All WIN members have the opportunity to vote for the final grant award selections, choosing projects that resonate with the members’ most meaningful causes and areas of focus. Learn how you can join the Women's Impact Network (WIN).
“This only happens through the philanthropy of alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and friends,” said Stephanie Pasha, assistant vice president, Strategic Donor Outreach, who noted that all grants are funded through donations from WIN members. “The team of WIN members who review the grant applications to make the awards each year work very hard at ensuring the most ‘bang for the buck.’ They know there is significant need for many of these projects and they are so creative in maximizing the impact of the grant award dollars. For them, it’s a deeply rewarding experience and they appreciate the opportunity to interact with grant recipients and beneficiaries alike. It’s a terrific engagement, and the whole process gives them a broader lens into WPI’s plans, programs, people, and priorities.”
Grant proposals for initiatives from the WPI community met specific criteria, including providing pathways to advance women at WPI; increasing the number of women in STEM fields; creating a positive difference for women in the extended WPI community; and elevating WPI’s impact and extending its reach around the globe.
The 2021 grant recipients:
- A Win for Mothers: Stigma, COVID-19, and Maternal Mental Health
Primary Author: Samantha Hines, graduate student, Psychological Science
Grant Award: $3,250.
- Academic Coaching: Building Community Support with the Office of Accessibility Services
Primary Author: Amy Curran, Director, Office of Accessibility Services
Grant Award: $13,500.
- WPI-Supported STEM Childcare: Impact & Opportunities
Primary Author: Mia Dubosarsky, Director of Professional Development, STEM Education Center
Grant Award: $16,000.
- Worcester Women in STEM Pathway Initiative
Primary Author: Ryan Meadows, interim director, Office of Pre-collegiate Outreach Programs; Director, Pre-collegiate Outreach
Grant Award: $32,300.
- Women’s Young Investigator Fellowship: Providing WPI Students and Faculty with Mentorship and Research Conference Opportunities for Research
Primary Author: Avery Harrison Closser, Graduate Student, Learning Sciences & Technology
Grant Award: $23,500.
- WIN WISE Fellowship: Women’s Interdisciplinary Scholarship Engagement
Primary Author: Rodica Neamtu, Associate Teaching Professor, Computer Science
Grant Award: $3,500.
- The Leadership Delta PEARL (Professional Education and Representative Leadership) Mentoring Program
Primary Author: Tiffiny Butler, Director, Office of Multicultural Affairs
Grant Award: $15,250.
- Supporting Equity in Faculty Career Advancement During & After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Primary Author: Chrysanthe Demetry, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Grant Award: $30,000
- Quantum Pathways for Women: Women’s Quantum Science and Engineering Outreach and Mentorship Program
Primary Author: Raisa Trubko, Assistant Professor, Physics
Grant Award: $15,704.
- Physics LAWS Competition (Physics Leader Achiever Women Students)
Primary Author: Snehalata Kadam, Assistant Teaching Professor, Physics
Grant Award: $2,500.
- PBL to Go: Bringing STEM Experiential Learning to a Classroom Near You
Primary Author: Kristin Boudreau, Professor, Humanities & Arts
$25,800.
- P.E.A.C.E Hackathon for Social Justice (Participation, Equity, Access, Civil Rights, in Education)
Primary Author: Tiffiny Butler, Director, Office of Multicultural Affairs
Grant Award: $17,025.
- Lecture Series Highlighting Women Developing Guitar Technologies
Primary Author: VJ Manzo, Associate Professor, Humanities & Arts
Grant Award: $4,150.
- Gender & Leadership Opportunity Workshop (GLOW) Series
Primary Author: Lindsay Davis, Assistant Teaching Professor, Humanities & Arts
Grant Award: $8,800.
- Free Menstrual Products on WPI’s Campus
Primary Author: Alexandria Lehman, Undergraduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Grant Award: $10,920.
- Artificial Tongue for Oral Cancer Patients
Primary Author: Sarah Vasquez, Undergraduate Student, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Grant Award: $2,500.
