January 2007 ISSUE
academia
L’Oréal Grants Mentor Fellowship To Schulich Engineering Student
 |
TIFFANY EDGECOMBE . . . |
L’Oréal Canada recently awarded fellowships totalling $50,000 to four exceptional Canadian researchers, during an event at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. Among the recipients was Schulich School of Engineering student Tiffany Edgecombe, who received a mentor fellowship.
The fellowships are granted every year by L’Oréal and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO as part of the For Women in Science program, which highlights and supports women’s contributions to the Canadian scientific community.
“I was honoured to have been considered among these women,” said
Ms. Edgecombe, who recently returned from Ottawa where she was awarded her mentor
fellowship. “It was a fantastic experience, and an invaluable opportunity
to meet the women behind some amazing success stories.”
The $5,000 mentor fellowships have been awarded every year for the past four
years by L’Oréal Canada to young women researchers at the doctoral
level. The fellowships are intended to support young scientists in their research,
as they become sources of inspiration for other young Canadian women.
Beginning in early 2007, Ms. Edgecombe will participate in mentoring sessions organized by Actua, a national charity that provides young Canadians with positive, hands-on learning experiences in science, technology and engineering.
“I am passionate about seeing women in science and engineering continue to break barriers and reach their personal and professional goals, and by mentoring girls with the Actua program, I am able to be an active player in promoting gender equity. The young girls are the future.”
Ms. Edgecombe is currently conducting research in the area of biomechanics and sports engineering, developing a protocol for subject-specific alpine ski selection. She continues her involvement in the SCIberMENTOR program and in Women in Science and Engineering at the University of Calgary. She is also a member of the Future Innovators and Educators of the Schulich School of Engineering, a group dedicated to developing the skills of aspiring academics.
An active member of the Alberta Water Ski Team, Ms. Edgecombe is especially proud of her role in developing up-and-coming skiers. She is a role model and educator in her personal, professional and academic life and is “the ideal recipient” of the fellowship, says a U of C release.
Initiated in 1998 and renewed in 2004 by L’Oreal and UNESCO, For Women In Science is an international partnership to recognize, encourage and promote women in science. It is inspired by two main goals: to honour established women researchers in the Life Sciences and the Material Sciences, and to help young women researchers with promising research projects in the Life Sciences.