Two Holy Cross Students Awarded Competitive Full-Tuition Science Scholarships

College of the Holy Cross students Katharine Chamberlin ’12 and Kelly Gilmore ’12 have been named this year’s recipients of Clare Boothe Luce Scholarships, which are awarded to two women majoring in the physical sciences who are entering their fourth year of study at the College. The scholarship covers tuition, room and board, and fees. In addition, the College supports Luce Scholars with paid research fellowships during the summer prior to the start of their senior year.

A mathematics major with a minor in physics, Chamberlin is working with Rafe Jones, assistant professor of mathematics, on arithmetic dynamics, a combination of number theory and dynamical systems.  “This research and scholarship opportunity are an incredible stepping stone to my future in the physical sciences,” she said. “While I haven't yet determined my exact career path, I am very interested in pursuing a career with the NSA in cryptanalysis or in teaching at the college level.”

On campus, Chamberlin is the vice president of the mathematics honor society, Pi Mu Epsilon, a member of the national Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, and a tutor and mathematics grader in the Calculus Workshop.  She also participates in Model U.N., club tennis, and is a member of the all female a cappella group, The Delilahs.  She lives in Wenham, Mass. 

Gilmore, a double major in chemistry and mathematics, is conducting research with Sarah Petty, assistant professor of chemistry, on the folding of tripeptides into beta-sheets, which is associated with diseases such as Huntington’s disease and the Prion diseases.  “We are hoping that by studying these short tripeptides, we can gain a better understanding of the first stages of the misfolding process that occurs in these proteins,” she said.

On campus, Gilmore is a member of Science Ambassadors, a tutor in the Calculus Workshop and a teaching assistant for the chemistry department. Through the Chaplains’ Office, she sings in the chapel choir, and serves as a lector, Christian Life Community leader, and volunteer through Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD).   A resident of Colts Neck, N.J., she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry.

Clare Boothe Luce Scholarships are made possible by a major grant from the Henry Luce Foundation in the amount of $420,532 to encourage women undergraduates to major in the physical sciences, including mathematics, computer science, physics, and chemistry. The College’s first Clare Booth Luce Scholars, Lindsey Tonge and Annie Cervin, both graduated this May.