International Women's Day Kick-Off for Crowdfunding Campaign

Women in Natural Sciences, a small learning community within the College, has been raising retention rates in science and the academic success rates of its students for years. Now it's looking to the community to help raise support and capacity in the program.

WINS launched its new HornRaiser Campaign on International Women's Day, inviting members of the Texas Science community to show their support for a program that offers mentorship, outreach and social events, and more. Community building for women throughout the College is also a part of the program, like last month when WINS students hosted a movie night at the Alamo Drafthouse where members mingled with alumni and College leadership and enjoyed Hidden Figures, a film about women mathematicians at NASA whose story had gone untold.

"Through WINS you get the opportunity to connect with faculty, get some research experience, grow as a leader and really find your place at UT," says Victoria Petruzzi, a WINS alumna.

HornRaiser is the crowdfunding platform for the UT community that acts as a sort of Kickstarter for a wide range of research, outreach, and educational programs. In addition to the new Women in Natural Sciences project, three additional HornRaiser projects within the College of Natural Sciences also kicked off today:

1. Advancing Students' Research in Alzheimer's Disease: Students in the lab of neuroscientist Jon Pierce are tackling one of medicine's biggest challenges and searching for answers to Alzheimer's Disease, a leading cause of death in the United States for which there is no cure. They have seen real signs of progress and are seeking donors to help keep them in the lab researching this summer to help them Discover Treatments for Alzheimer's.
2. ​​Supporting Computer Science Graduate Students: The Department of Computer Science is working to establish a new fund to support graduate education in honor of a retired Distinguished Teaching Professor. Graduate students are essential in the fabric of the University, and the Jayadev Misra Graduate Fellowship Fund aims to set up an endowment to provide support for these students for years to come.
3. Starting a Giving Legacy Upon Graduation: The Computer Science Department also has established a Hornraiser for Project Giving Tree, which is "a response to the changing dynamics of University funding. With state funding at all-time lows and tuition at all-time highs, the campaign seeks to raise awareness about the importance of giving back starting as soon as students graduate.​"