GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS
Mary Jo Lake Memorial Fellowship in Optical Sciences
A long-time resident of Arizona , James and Mary Jo Lake established this fellowship in 1999 to support women scientists pursuing advanced degrees in Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona .
A native of St . Paul , Minnesota , Mary Jo was a devoted wife and mother who supported her husband , James , in his highly successful career as a metallurgical engineer . Together they established households around the country while raising their daughters , Nancy and Mary , both of whom excelled in the field of fine arts .
Mary Jo believed in helping women achieve and she had great interest in supporting women pursuing careers in science and engineering . It was James ’ desire that recipients of this fellowship benefit from Mary Jo ’ s commitment to lead young women into greatness .
LAURA SAWYER
Laura Sawyer is a 2nd year graduate student from Long Island , New York . With a background in electrical engineering , Laura is exploring research options in optical physics , specifically lasers and biophysics spectroscopy . In her free time , Laura loves volunteering , hiking , and travelling to any state she hasn ’ t been to yet across the US .
CLARISSA DELEON
Clarissa is a Ph . D . student in the Polarization Lab with advisor , Professor Meredith Kupinski . As a proud Latina , Clarissa is honored to receive the Mary Jo Lake Memorial Fellowship in Optical Science and be a part of the legacy of women who share her values for representation in STEM . Outside of school , she likes to crochet , crossstitch , hike , and read . ¡ Èchale ganas !
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