Five Top U.S. Female Scientists Earn 2009 L'Oreal USA Fellowships For Women in Science for Groundbreaking Research

WINNERS RESEARCHING COMPLEX ISSUES INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

NEW YORK, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Dr. Laurent Attal, President and CEO, L'Oreal USA, honored the 2009 recipients of the esteemed L'Oreal USA Fellowships For Women in Science at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. These women were recognized for conducting innovative, groundbreaking research across a range of disciplines, including neuroscience, bioengineering and atmospheric chemistry.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090521/NY20255LOGO )

The prestigious L'Oreal USA Fellowships For Women in Science, now in their sixth year, provide support to postdoctoral women scientists who are researching answers to society's most complex issues. By conducting pioneering research, such as minimizing carbon dioxide production to help lessen respiratory problems, and testing for blood vessel dysfunctions playing a role in triggering Alzheimer's disease, these Fellows represent the future generation of women in science.

Awardees each receive $60,000 grants to be used toward independent scientific research and career development. In addition, the L'Oreal USA Fellowships For Women in Science also offer professional development workshops for awardees and help these Fellows build networks with accomplished women leaders in corporate, academic, governmental and scientific fields.

Understanding the critical contributions and leadership roles that women provide in science, this year, L'Oreal USA increased its individual grant awards from $40,000 to $60,000. Since the U.S. program's inception in 2004, L'Oreal USA has awarded more than $1 million in fellowship grants to 30 Fellows.

"The 2009 L'Oreal USA Fellows are leading by example: they are excelling in their research while demonstrating to women everywhere the excitement and importance of engaging in science careers," said Dr. Attal. "L'Oreal USA is proud to increase its support and honor the success of women scientists at all levels. We are committed to changing the face of science by helping to increase the number of women engaged in science fields."

The 2009 L'Oreal USA Fellowship grants will support the following scientists and their postdoctoral research:

• Dr. Beena Kalisky, Stanford University, Stanford, California - physicist, developing a new system for detection and characterization of individual nanomagnets. The instrument designed will scan over a large number of particles and individually measure their magnetic properties. This will help in the gathering of pertinent information for the exploration of the nanomagnets' possible applications. This research has the potential to increase drug efficiency and treatment which could help save lives.

• Dr. Aster Kammrath, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin - atmospheric/environmental chemist, researching the pathways by which molecules emitted by human activity or natural sources are involved in climate change and pollution problems. This work aims to help set appropriate emissions controls to minimize the production of carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gases and aerosol, which could help reduce respiratory problems.

• Dr. Nozomi Nishimura, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York - neuroscientist and bioengineer, testing the role that blood vessel dysfunction plays in triggering Alzheimer's disease. This research will look at how clots or bleeds in the smallest blood vessels in the brain could seed the accumulation of A-beta proteins, an indication of plaque in the brain which often occurs in Alzheimer's patients. This work may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

• Dr. Tiffany Santos, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois - materials scientist and engineer, investigating a class of materials called transition metal oxides, with a wide array of properties, that have numerous potential applications. This research aims to uncover new materials, which could potentially help reduce power consumption and increase the energy efficiency of information technologies, such as data storage devices and memory chips.

• Dr. Erika Sudderth, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island - biologist, working to understand the constraints, thresholds and limits of ecological responses to precipitation, which is arguably the most important controller of ecosystem processes. This research aims to understand the mechanisms driving ecosystem responses to climate change. This knowledge will improve models of critical ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, carbon storage and water storage.

The 2009 L'Oreal USA Fellows were selected from a competitive pool of candidates by a distinguished Jury of career scientists, presided over by Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, President of the National Academy of Sciences. The Fellows are selected based on exceptional academic performance and intellectual merit, clearly articulated research proposals with the potential for scientific advancement and outstanding letters of recommendation from advisers.

The L'Oreal USA Fellowships For Women in Science is a national extension of the global For Women in Science program, which has awarded Laureate prizes to 57 distinguished women scientist from 27 countries and 135 international fellowship grants to young women researchers from 71 countries. Additionally, national fellowship programs have been developed in more than 43 countries, providing support to more than 500 women scientists worldwide.

For more information, please visit www.lorealusa.com/forwomeninscience or the L'Oreal For Women in Science Facebook page.

ABOUT THE FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE PROGRAM

For Women in Science is a global effort by L'Oreal to celebrate women who have dedicated their careers to scientific research and to encourage emerging talent to pursue scientific discoveries. The program includes: the L'Oreal - UNESCO For Women in Science Awards, which honors five distinguished female scientist each with a $100,000 grant annually; the UNESCO-L'Oreal For Women in Science International Fellowships which aims to encourage international scientific cooperation and awards 15 young women researcher each with a $40,000 grant annually; and the L'Oreal USA Fellowships For Women in Science, a national extension of the international fellowship program which recognizes and rewards five U.S.-based young women researchers each with a $60,000 grant annually.

ABOUT L'OREAL USA

L'Oreal USA, headquartered in New York City, with 2008 sales of over $4.5 billion and over 9,000 employees, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of L'Oreal SA, one of the world's leading beauty companies. In addition to corporate headquarters in New York, L'Oreal USA has Research and Development, Manufacturing and Distribution facilities across eight states in the U.S., including New Jersey, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina and Texas.

L'Oreal's impressive portfolio of brands includes Lancome, Giorgio Armani, shu uemura, Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, Biotherm, Viktor & Rolf, Diesel, Cacharel, L'Oreal Paris, Garnier, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, L'Oreal Professionnel and Kerastase. The U.S. is the base for the product development, international marketing and advertising for L'Oreal's eleven American brands: Maybelline New York, Soft-Sheen, Carson, Kiehl's Since 1851, Ralph Lauren, Redken 5th Avenue NYC, Matrix, Logics, Mizani, Pureology, SkinCeuticals and Dermablend.

SOURCE L'Oreal USA

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