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M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship

Application Deadline: June 1, 2012

To enable women to return to physics research careers after having had to interrupt those careers. The fellowship consists of a one-year award of up to $45,000 (applicants can apply in a subsequent year for one additional year of support). Allowed expenses include dependent care (limited to 50% of the award), salary, travel, equipment, and tuition and fees. Overhead charges by the institution are not allowed.
Frequently Asked Questions

History of the Award

The award was established from a generous bequest from M. Hildred Blewett, an accelerator physicist who died in 2004. Hildred Blewett was passionate about physics and wanted to help women overcome obstacles by establishing the fellowship.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

Applicants must:

currently be a U.S. citizen, legal resident, or resident alien of the United States or Canada.
currently reside in Canada or the United States.
have completed work toward a PhD.
provide written proof from the institution that they will have institutional affiliation during the tenure of their grant. Institutional affiliation at the time of application is not necessary.

If applicants have questions regarding their eligibility, or special circumstances they would like to discuss, they should contact APS at (301) 209-3231 or blewett@aps.org.

In selecting fellowship recipients, the following criteria will be considered:

qualifications of applicant,
status of career before break,
steps the applicant has taken to return to physics research,
relationship of the applicant to the research community,
relationship of project and award to future plans,
scholarly significance of the project,
quality and feasibility of the project design and timeline.

Criteria Details

M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship Recipients

2011
Silvia Luescher Folk
Natalia Drichko

2010
Natalia Drichko
Marija Nikolic-Jaric

2009
Klejda Bega
Janice Wynn Guikema
Marija Nikolic-Jaric

2008
Janice Wynn Guikema
Ya Li
Firouzeh Sabri

2007
Archana Dubey

2006
Elizabeth Freeland

2005
Rebecca Forrest

Application Process - Deadline: June 1, 2012

All applications are reviewed by a sub-committee of the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics. The Blewett Fellowship application deadline is June 1, 2012.

A complete application consists of:

One to three letter(s) of recommendation, one of which may be from a designated mentor, sent to Blewett@aps.org,
A letter of institutional support during the tenure of the grant sent to Blewett@aps.org,
Submission of the electronic application, which includes your statement of research, budget, statement concerning your career break, and your Curriculum Vitae. Please consult the eligibility and selection criteria for information about what to include in your statements.

Online Application

Fellowship Recipient Testimonials

"Getting the scholarship was a great encouragement to me as a first step of bringing in funding, and to do work that excited me. My confidence and my assurance that this indeed was what I wanted to do were largely made possible by the scholarship."

"Having received this nationally competitive scholarship, and having restarted my research program, has made me a more attractive candidate for a tenure-track position... the scholarship has allowed me to start an active, independent research program."

Questions and Information

Frequently Asked Questions
More Questions? Email: Blewett Fellowship Information

"Returning to Science"
Sarah Webb, Science Magazine, 10/30/09
Interviews with women who have returned to careers in science after a break, including two Blewett Fellowship winners.