PRESS CONTACTS:
Connie Chow, Science Club for Girls, 617-513-1540,
Tom Parnell, Microsoft, 413-262-2404 ,
SCIENCE CLUB FOR GIRLS HONORS DR. JENNIFER CHAYES
WITH 2013 CATALYST AWARD
Cambridge, MA: November 13, 2013 – Science Club for Girls (SCFG), a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), has selected Dr. Jennifer Chayes of Microsoft Research, as one of two individual recipients of its annual Catalyst Award. The Awards Celebration and Benefit will be held November 19 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET at Microsoft’s NERD Centerin Kendall Square, Cambridge.
The Science Club for Girls Catalyst Awards honor individuals and institutions commitment to making STEM a truly universal enterprise. The Catalyst honorees are leaders in creating changefrom system down to individual levels.
“Dr. Chayes makes being smart, cool, and solving complex problems exciting,” says Dr. Connie Chow, executive director of the Science Club for Girls. “Her accomplishments as a research scientist and a thought leader, and her grace as a teacher and a woman, make her a beacon for tentative young women and rising stars finding their path. Her dedication to mentoring and opening doors for the next generation further distinguishes Dr. Chayes for this award.”
In response to this recognition, Dr. Chayes said, “I feel very lucky to be recognized for doing what I love— both doing actual science and engineering, and helping to inspire other women to enter STEM fields. It’s essential that girls realize science and engineering are creative and collaborative fields that allow us to help envision and build the future. It’s wonderful to look at the faces of these young women as I tell my story and to see them begin to imagine their own.”
Dr. Chayes is a Microsoft distinguished scientist and managing director of Microsoft Research New England and Microsoft Research New York City—both of which she co-founded. She is a passionate advocate for the study of computer science by girls, and among the many awards she has received is a 2012 Women of Leadership Vision Award from the Anita Borg Institute. In addition, Dr. Chayes is the co-author of more than 110 scientific papers, the co-inventor of more than 25 patents, and serves on numerous institute boards, advisory committees and editorial boards.
Dr. Chayes will be honored at the Catalyst Awards, along with and Dr. Shirley Malcom, Head of Education and Human Resources at American Association for the Advancement of Science; and Cubist Pharmaceuticals and its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Michael Bonney. Meteorologist Mish Michaels will serve as the evening’s emcee.
The evening includes a reception, silent auction, and raffle, and showcases SCFG participants and their projects. Details about the event including ticket information can be found at The event is open to the public. Proceeds benefits SCFG’s free, hands-on programs for over 800 girls in eastern Massachusetts.
The event is sponsored by Pfizer, Millennium - The Takeda Oncology Company, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, EMC, Genzyme, Microsoft, Alnylam, Amgen, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Alexandria Real Estate, IBM, MIT, Mintz Levin and Forest City Enterprises.
Science Club for Girls is a nonprofit organization with 19 years of experience delivering free programs to girls in K-12 grades, especially those from underserved communities in Boston, Cambridge, Lawrence, Newton and Fitchburg. Science Club for Girls’ mission is to increase girls’ excitement, confidence and literacy in STEM through programs led by mentors in these fields.
Science Club for Girls was selected by Root Cause as a Social Innovator in STEM Education and Outreach in 2012, and received the national 2010 MetLife Afterschool Innovator Award for its work in STEM with middle-school girls.
Learn more about Science Club for Girls at visit the following social mediasites:
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