{"id":75390,"date":"2024-12-04T08:03:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T13:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=75390"},"modified":"2025-09-17T10:57:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T14:57:51","slug":"2024-women-in-science-incentive-prize-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/2024-women-in-science-incentive-prize-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"Announcing Our Women In Science Incentive Prize Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"women
The winners of this year\u2019s Women In Science Incentive Prize are working to combat the impact of extreme events. Clockwise from top: Juliet Pilewskie, Valerisa Gaddy, Onja Davidson Raoelison, Danielle Touma and Heather Holmes. (Credit: Noel Flego)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Story Exchange<\/a>, a nonprofit media platform that aims to elevate women’s voices, today announced the winners of its fourth annual Women In Science Incentive Prize, or WISIP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WISIP program, begun in 2021, is a $25,000 grant program that supports women scientists working to combat the devastating impacts of climate change. This year, the focus is on extreme events such as storms, wildfires, floods, droughts and heat waves. (Previous prizes focused on women working in water management<\/a>, air quality<\/a> and soil health<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWIthout question, climate change is increasingly impacting the intensity, frequency and duration of extreme events, yet many in leadership are choosing to take no action,” said Victoria Wang, co-founder of The Story Exchange. “We believe it’s mission-critical to be investing in innovative women scientists at a time when the world needs them the most.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Science Foundation has noted<\/a> that accelerated climate change can result in natural disasters and \u200b\u200b\u201dexact a heavy toll on natural and human systems.\u201d Related to WISIP, The Story Exchange explored the dangers of extreme events in a 2-part podcast, Terrifying Weather Events That Shock Us Into Action<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five winners were selected after a two-pronged application process, and following a rigorous scientific review by judges from several universities, as well as an assessment by The Story Exchange editors. To be eligible, applicants needed to have advanced degrees in physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, agronomy, environmental science, meteorology or closely related fields, and be working as researchers or entrepreneurs. Each will receive a $5,000 grant to continue her work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We began WISIP to specifically recognize the work of female scientists, who often face discrimination and feel isolated in their work,” said Sue Williams, co-founder of The Story Exchange. “In addition to funding, these women deserve to be in the spotlight for the tireless work they are doing, often on behalf of vulnerable communities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the recipients of this year\u2019s grants, in alphabetical order. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
1<\/div>\n \n

(Credit: Valerisa Gaddy)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n

Valerisa Gaddy<\/h2>\n

In Arizona, one of Valerisa Gaddy\u2019s projects is Cool Tucson, which aims to reduce the city\u2019s temperature by 5 degrees \u2013\u00a0average temperatures have increased 11 degrees in the past century due in part to the urban heat island effect. Gaddy, a PhD who grew up in Navajo Nation, also plans to work with the Pascua Yaqui Nation to develop rain gardens to reduce heat stress. \u201cWe teach people how to \u2018plant the rain,\u2019\u201d she explains, \u201cby first digging a basin and then incorporating the tree and plants within it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n
\n
2<\/div>\n \n

Heather Holmes<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n

Heather Holmes<\/h2>\n

Heather Holmes at University of Utah is researching whether Salt Lake City’s extreme heat \u2013 now common in the summer \u2013 is linked to the depletion of the Great Salt Lake. Holmes also investigates smoke plumes, the tall columns <\/span>of gases and particles released into the atmospher<\/span>e during wildfires. “The way they move is driven by meteorology,” she says. “<\/span>The combined impacts of extreme heat and smoke exposure on humans is understudied \u2013 and likely significant.”<\/span><\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n
\n
3<\/div>\n \n

Juliet Pilewskie<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n

Juliet Pilewskie<\/h2>\n

At Columbia University, Juliet Pilewskie is studying the largest source of uncertainty in current climate models: how clouds contribute to climate change. That effect is not well understood because the ways in which clouds and the environment exchange energy are also largely a mystery. \u201cI\u2019m using observations to essentially get a quantifiable estimate of how clouds change with surface warming, in order to use that as a basis for evaluating climate models, to see how far off they are,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n
\n
4<\/div>\n \n

Onja Davidson Raoelison<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n

Onja Davidson Raoelison<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

In California, Onja Davidson Raoelison is studying how extreme events like wildfires may spread pathogens through the water and air, a potential threat to human health. Scientists once assumed that smoke was too hot to sustain microorganisms. Raoelison is from Madagascar, notorious for its lack of clean drinking water \u2013 and that motivates her. \u201cI was very interested in helping marginalized communities and low-income communities because I wanted to provide clean water to drink, and also clean air to breathe,\u201d she says. <\/span><\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n
\n
5<\/div>\n \n

Danielle Touma <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n

Danielle Touma<\/h2>\n

Danielle Touma, a research professor at University of Texas, Austin, has stepped out from the research lab and into the field \u2013 into Karuk territory, a tribe in Northern California. She plans to develop a climate projection framework that will empower the tribe to quantify future wildfire, drought and extreme rainfall risks. Touma hopes the partnership will create a blueprint for other scientists to work with Indigenous populations. \u201cCo-creating research with scientists and tribal communities is really what we need to be doing to address extreme weather risks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to droughts, wildfires, thunderstorms and other extreme events, these scientists are looking for answers. We’re awarding $5,000 grants to support them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":73900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":false,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[187],"tags":[20278,20569,19479],"class_list":["post-75390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-climate-change","tag-extreme-weather-events","tag-women-in-science"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeet the Winners of Our 2024 Women In Science Incentive Prize<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When it comes to droughts, wildfires, thunderstorms, these scientists are looking for answers. 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