Even small research grants can have a major impact on the success of female researchers early in their careers, a survey by the President's Council of Cornell Women (PCCW) concludes.

Jason Koski/University Photography

PCCW's Lilyan Affinito, third from left, with grant recipients Samantha Zacher, assistant professor of English; Kavita Bala, assistant professor of computer science; and Rachel Bean, assistant professor of astronomy.

Since 1992, PCCW, an alumnae group, has awarded $533,279 in competitive grants of $1,000 to $12,500 to 159 women researchers at Cornell through the Affinito-Stewart Grant Program. The group, named for its founders, aims to increase the success and retention of women faculty by supporting their research while they are on the tenure track.

PCCW grant applications are reviewed by Cornell faculty in the discipline for which the grant is applied. Awardees are selected by PCCW members, many of whom are on the faculties of other universities.

The survey asked 57 Affinito-Stewart grant recipients who were still at Cornell in fall 2006 about the effect the awards had had on their careers; 37 recipients -- 65 percent -- responded with endorsements of the program.

"In my field it is very difficult to get research funding," wrote apparel designer Susan Ashdown, now the Helen G. Canoyer Professor of Human Ecology, who received a $2,500 Affinito-Stewart grant in 1996 for a project on the fit of clothing for mature women. "Now, looking at the small size of this award, I am amazed that it was so small, as at the time it had a great impact."

Many nonscience grants paid for travel for awardees to conduct research at the Library of Congress and at other universities and sites in England, Italy, Peru, Fiji and India.

"This award was central to my research," said Marianella Casasola, associate professor of human development who received tenure at Cornell this year. She received a $3,305 grant in 2002 for her study on how Korean infants categorize spatial relations.

Several respondents said the grants had more than a strictly financial impact. One wrote that her grant "offered me critical scholarly, moral and financial support at a particularly sensitive time in my academic career."

"This survey confirms our belief that support for women faculty early in their careers can have a long-lasting benefit," said Margaret Stack Turner, PCCW chair. "The Affinito-Stewart grants program is our top funding priority. We will also continue our support of other university priorities by mentoring women students and providing financial assistance for women's athletics and additional programs that support women faculty."

Andrea Williams and Jaclyn Spear chaired PCCW's University Relations Committee, which oversaw the survey, which was administered by a subcommittee headed by Angela DeSilva.

For information on the grant program, e-mail pccw@cornell.edu, or call (607) 254-7104.