FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Mary C. Hickey
hickeym@aauw.org
202.785.7748 | 973.819.3608

November 10, 2020 - The American Association of University Women (AAUW) awarded its 2020–21 Research Publication Grant in Engineering, Medicine, and Science to Dr. Corinne Kiessling, an assistant professor in Neuroscience at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Kiessling’s lab studies the neurodegenerative disorder, Parkinson’s disease. Her lab seeks to determine why L-DOPA, the most common drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease symptoms loses efficacy over time. This award will support Kiessling’s current project investigating how loss of brain cells that produce the chemicals dopamine and acetylcholine contribute to L-DOPA treatment outcomes and side effects.

“I am honored and humbled to receive this award” said Kiessling. “The support of AAUW is giving me a head start on my journey toward accomplishing my research goals and career aspirations. This grant will help me provide meaningful research experiences to my students and ultimately will help advance our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.”

AAUW is one of the world’s leading supporters of graduate women’s education: Over the past 132 years, it has provided more than $115 million in fellowships, grants, and awards to 13,000 women from 150 countries. AAUW is proud to be one of the nation’s largest educational funders for women of color.

For the 2020-21 academic year, AAUW is awarding a total of $3.5 million through seven fellowships and grants programs to more than 200 scholars, research projects and programs promoting education and equity for women and girls.

AAUW’s Research Publication Grants in Engineering, Medicine, and Science specifically support scholarly research by women in engineering, medicine and science. It funds projects that will culminate in scholarly publications.

“Women in these fields face persistent barriers and biases that can make it difficult for them to find the time, funding, and institutional support needed to publish their research,” said Kim Churches, the chief executive officer of AAUW. “AAUW is proud to support them with the resources they need to excel.”

Educational funding is especially important given that women are disproportionately burdened by student debt. And their ability to pay off that debt is hampered by a lifelong pay gap that affects women in nearly every profession. The pay gap widens over time and has consequences on all aspect of a woman’s financial life, from paying for an education to saving for a comfortable retirement. AAUW’s awards help to alleviate the burden of student debt so women can focus on developing their skills and experience.

Applications open August 1 each year. Deadlines vary by program. To find out more about this year’s exceptional class of awardees, visit the online directory.