
The University of New Mexico
NEWS RELEASE
Media contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
May 24, 2007
UNM Earth Scientist Among Elite Group of Five Rising Young Women Scientists Honored with 2007 L'Oréal USA Fellowships for Women in Science
Today, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Laurent Attal, President and CEO, L'Oréal USA, and Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences, honored the 2007 recipients of the esteemed L'Oréal USA Fellowships For Women in Science, which included University of New Mexico’s Dr. Jaime D. Barnes from the Earth and Planetary Sciences department.
Barnes is part of an elite group of five Fellows which also includes: Dr. Sarah Clinton – neuroscientist, Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Dr. Julie Huber – oceanographer, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass.; Dr. Maria Krisch – physical chemist, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, Calif.; and Dr. Kim Woodrow – biomedical engineer, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Now in its fourth year, the highly selective L’Oréal USA Fellowships annually recognize and reward five up-and-coming female scientists who are conducting innovative and groundbreaking research across scientific disciplines.
“The discoveries of tomorrow may be uncovered by this year’s impressive class of Fellows, who are tackling key scientific issues,” said Laurent Attal, President and CEO, L'Oréal USA. “It is critical to encourage women, who represent almost half the workforce but hold less than a quarter of all scientific jobs, to pursue scientific career paths. Now more than ever, the world needs science and science needs women.”
Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, was also honored with the L’Or éal USA For Women in Science Role Model Award for her role in helping to shape the image of women in science.
Barnes, an earth scientist and geochemist, is analyzing chlorine isotope ratios of rocks, minerals and volcanic gas to determine the source of chlorine emitted from active volcanoes. Barnes is identifying sources of chlorine in two very different subduction zones, and has recognized important isotopic fractionation processes between hydrochloric acid solutions and vapor, which have implications for the fundamental dissociation of hydrochlorine in aqueous solutions. Her work may hold the key to how volcanic eruptions occur and thus help scientists to predict future eruptions.
Launched in 2003 as the U.S. component of the UNESCO-L’ORÉAL International Fellowships program, the U.S. program aims to raise awareness of the contribution of women to the sciences, and to identify exceptional female researchers to serve as role models for young women and girls. The L’Oréal USA Fellowships offer three distinct levels of support to young women scientists.
The program supports its awardees financially, by granting them $40,000 each to put toward their independent scientific research. It also helps them strengthen their networks in the scientific community. Additionally, it provides coaching and professional development workshops with accomplished women leaders in corporate, academic and government fields to help these Fellows be better prepared as they publish research, apply for grant funding and advance their careers. Since the L’ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science international program’s inception in 1998, 47 Laureates and 105 Fellows have been recognized from around the world.
A distinguished jury of seven eminent scientists -- presided over by Dr. Cicerone– selected the five fellowship beneficiaries from a competitive pool of highly qualified individuals. Each of this year’s Fellows has achieved notable recognition in her respective field and is widely published in leading science journals such as Nature, The American Journal of Psychiatry, and Pharmaceutical Research. Combined, the women have first-authored 24 papers at this early stage of their careers.
“It is vital that we encourage emerging scientists who hold the key to future discoveries,” said Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences. “L’Oréal USA’s visionary Fellowships program cultivates women scientists and provides essential support as they embark on their careers.”
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