In October, while lobbying for the Healthy Families Act in the office of Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), we met a woman who said AAUW had made a difference in her career. Joy Ward, associate professor of plant ecology at the University of Kansas, spied our AAUW badges and thanked us for helping with her post-doc funding. She said that the fellowship, in 1998–99, made all the difference. Joy was visiting the senator’s office to speak with his staff about a program to encourage girls to pursue math and science. She is an AAUW branch member in Lawrence, Kansas. We should be proud of the funding we all make possible and for folks like Joy who are making a difference for girls’ education.
In July, Joy received the PECASE award (Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers), which is the highest honor bestowed on young scientists in the United States. She will be honored at the White House later this year.
This post was written by Lobby Corp Marcy J. Leverenz.
Interested in joining? AAUW Lobby Corps is hosting an open House on October 22, 2009. For more information, e-mail votered@aauw.org.
