L'Oreal USA For Women in Science Program Seeks to Reward Exceptional Women in STEM Research with 2014 Fellowship

NEW YORK, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- L'Oreal USA today announced the start of the application period for its 2014 For Women in Science program. Now entering its 11^th year, the national awards program annually recognizes the contributions women make in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Five U.S.-basedwomen researchers committed to serving as role models for younger generations will receive a fellowship grant up to $60,000 each for their postdoctoral research through the For Women in Science program.

"Scientific innovation has been fueling L'Oreal's business success since we were founded by a scientist more than one hundred years ago. And as the leading beauty company, we depend on the contributions women make in the field," said Kristina Schake, Chief Communications Officer for L'Oreal USA. "Today, women only make up a small fraction of STEM workers in the U.S., which means the potential innovations of tomorrow are missing a huge portion of talent. We want to recognize women leaders in diverse scientific fields and demonstrate what is possible for future generations."

The 2014 L'Oreal USA For Women in Science Fellowships application is open from March 24, 2014 until May 19, 2014. Candidates should have exceptional academic records and intellectual merit, clearly articulated research proposals with the potential for scientific advancement and outstanding letters of recommendation from advisers. New to the U.S. program this year, applicants will also be evaluated in part on their commitment to supporting women and girls in science. Winners will be announced in September 2014 and the award ceremony will take place in November in Washington, D.C. Applications and additional information is available at www.lorealusa.com/forwomeninscience.

Launched in 2003 as the U.S. component to the L'Oreal –UNESCO For Women In Science International Fellowships program, the U.S. Fellowships aim to raise awareness of the contribution of women to science. Since its inception, the U.S. program has awarded 50 post-doctoral women scientists more than $2 million in grants.

The program's partner, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), manages the peer-review process, and an inter-disciplinary panel of scientists reviews all applications submitted. The top candidates chosen by the review panel are then forwarded for final selection to a distinguished jury of career scientists and former North American L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Laureates. Each year, the program attracts talented applicants from diverse scientific fields, representing some of the nation's leading academic institutions and laboratories.

The U.S. fellowships are part of the global For Women in Science program, a partnership between the L'Oreal Foundation and UNESCO, to provide support for women researchers on all continents and at different points in their careers. Throughout its 16-year history, the program has recognized more than 2,000 women, including two Nobel Prize recipients, in 110 countries.

ABOUT L'OREAL USA
L'Oreal USA is the largest subsidiary of the L'Oreal Group, the world's leading beauty company. L'Oreal USA has a portfolio of 28 iconic global beauty brands, including Clarisonic, Essie Cosmetics, Garnier, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Kerastas, Kiehl's Since 1851, Lancome, L'Oreal Paris, Maybelline New York, Redken, Soft-Sheen Carson, Urban Decay and Yves Saint Laurent. In addition to corporate headquarters in New York City, L'Oreal USA has Research & Innovation and Manufacturing & Distribution facilities across seven other states including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Washington with a workforce of more than 10,000 employees. For more information, visit www.LorealUSA.com or follow on Twitter @LOrealUSACorp.

ABOUT AAAS
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (www.sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (www.sciencesignaling.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The non-profit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS.

SOURCE L'Oreal USA