JFEW Grants Support Liberal Arts Internships and Science Fellowships at Stern Two grants from The Jewish Foundation for Education of Women are helping Stern College for Women students excel in their fields of study—from biology to art history to psychology and beyond. A new internship grant will support students pursuing unpaid internships in the liberal arts, while a renewal of the Science Fellowship Program grant will continue to prepare Stern students to assume leadership positions in the scientific community. “These two programs, science fellowships and summer internships, were conceived with the goal of empowering women,” said Dr. Karen Bacon, the Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean at Stern College. “This is a goal that I know we share with The Jewish Foundation for Education of Women. I am thrilled that Stern College is able to partner with this exceptional group of community leaders committed to women's advancement.”

Stern's JFEW Science Fellowship Program trains high-achieving students to become leaders in the global scientific community.

For the first time, the Stern College for Women JFEW Internship Grant will support students seeking to gain experience in nonprofits, the humanities or social sciences this summer by working at unpaid internships. Successful applicants will receive three stipend payments totaling $3,500 and complete a paper reflecting on the ways their internships have helped shape their careers. Applications will be open until April 30. For more information, contact the YU Career Center. “This new award allows students in the humanities and social sciences the opportunity to pursue internships they otherwise would not be able to afford to complete,” said Jocelyn Coalter, director of employer and alumni relations at the Career Center. “Internships in social services, nonprofits and other related areas, while important for career development and future opportunities, are often unpaid, which can be a challenge for many undergraduates. This grant will allow these students to gain valuable career experience without causing them financial strain.” In addition, JFEW has renewed funding for the Science Fellowship Program at Stern. According to the National Science Foundation, while women are making strides in education in the hard sciences, they are still leaving the field later on in life—at the rate of 52 percent when they reach an age of 35-40. Now in its sixth year, the Science Fellowship Program addresses the need for leadership training and mentoring among young women planning to go into scientific fields, empowering them to overcome barriers they may face and achieve lifelong success in their careers. The program includes scholarship and research support, one-on-one mentoring and internship opportunities, among other enrichment activities. Participants in the program have conducted research in oral cancer biology, reproductive cell biology, neurobiology, psychology, breast cancer research, anesthesiology and neurophysiology, among other areas. They have also interned at prestigious institutions, including Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University and YU’s own Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Of the first cohort, which graduated in 2012, all 10 graduates continued their studies in diverse fields that ranged from biomedical engineering and epidemiology to food chemistry and optometry. “The JFEW Science Fellowship Program opens doors for students by providing them with opportunities early on in their academic careers to explore their fields of interest outside the classroom,” said Dr. Alyssa Schuck, the program’s director. “The Program encourages students to leave their comfort zones, guides them through new experiences, and in doing so, introduces students to a range of new, exciting and enriching opportunities.”