Chestnut Hill College’s Brittany Afflerbach ’18, Meghan Catherine Guagenti ’18 and Megan Malvoisin ’18 were recently named Clare Boothe Luce Undergraduate Research Scholars by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education. These competitive $5,000 awards, enabled through the generosity of the Clare Boothe Luce (CBL) Program of The Henry Luce Foundation in support of women in the physical science and engineering fields in which women are underrepresented.
The Clare Boothe Luce Program is the single most significant source of private scholarship support for women in science, mathematics and engineering. Since 1989 the Clare Boothe Luce Program has sought to increase the presence and strengthen the role of women in the fields of math, science and engineering by providing a range of undergraduate opportunities to advance their professional success. Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholars spend the summer working with professors at SEPCHE institutions where they conduct research in chemistry, mathematics, mathematics education and computer science. Students have the option to continue research the following summer provided they maintain high academic qualifications.
Afflerbach is a mathematics major and Guagenti and Malvoisin are forensic science majors at the College.
“Since I am a mathematics major, having research behind me will add to my experience once I do graduate. This opportunity will grant me experience in my field and hopefully look good on resumes in the future,” said Afflerbach who will conduct her research this summer on the effectiveness of online learning communities in post-secondary mathematics education with Holy Family University’s Sister Marcella Wallowicz, CSFN, coordinator for mathematics & natural sciences and assistant professor of mathematics.
“Since research is mainly done on my own time, it will help me to build my time-management skills and prepare for working on my own in the future. On top of the research itself, the award money will go directly toward tuition for my sophomore year, which is always helpful,” said Afflerbach.
Malvoisin feels this opportunity can potentially open many doors and provide greater clarity on future academic endeavors.
“This is such an honor for me and I feel so blessed to be able to have this opportunity. This will benefit me so much because I will gain valuable research experience that may help me in the future if I decide to apply for other internships. By the end of the internship I should know if research and chemistry are what I want to do with my life,” said Malvoisin.
Guagenti feels humbled and that this opportunity can allow her to merge connections in her studies between the classroom and lab.
“Being awarded this honor truly humbles me in that I have this opportunity to lay a solid framework for my professional interests at such an early point in my collegiate career,” said Guagenti.
“Being presented with this opportunity will catalyze my ability to form more meaningful connections between the classroom and the lab in order to create a more inclusive understanding of the course material. Also, the experience in the lab will strengthen my background in chemistry which is an important facet in attaining my career ambitions,” said Guagenti.
Chestnut Hill College had two CBL recipients last year, Brenda Ho ’17 and Anne Nash ’17. Each conducted summer research with SEPCHE faculty throughout the area. Ho was paired with CHC’s Karen Wendling, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, and Nash was paired with Rosemont College’s John Ullrich, Ph.D., assistant professor, chemistry, and Cabrini College’s David Dunbar, Ph.D., associate professor, biology.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE) includes eight independent higher education institutions in the Greater Philadelphia region and collaborates to improve the quality and efficiency of academic programming, student access, faculty development, institutional operations and community outreach through a range of shared activities, services, technology and information. SEPCHE enrolls approximately 22,000 students and represents the third largest higher education provider in the Delaware Valley. SEPCHE includes Chestnut Hill College, Arcadia University, Cabrini College, Gwynedd Mercy University, Holy Family University, Immaculata University, Neumann University and Rosemont College.
