Q & A: Grace Maglieri, Clare Boothe Luce Award Winner

October 1, 2018 — Grace Maglieri (C’19) has been awarded both a summer research award and an academic year research scholarship from the Clare Boothe Luce Program, which supports women conducting research in the natural sciences.

Maglieri, a Ridgefield, Conn. native, is the only Georgetown undergraduate to win a 2018 Luce Program award. Four other Georgetown students received Luce Program honors, all graduate students in the Department of Chemistry: Jeneffer England, Dorothy Jones, Taylor Watts, and Jen Werner.

We caught up with Maglieri, who also has a minor in Russian, to discuss her time on the Hilltop, her research on using dyes to identify chemical interactions, and her goals for the future.

How did you find Georgetown?

I found Georgetown during my college search because it had strong programs in the physics and Russian departments. I felt it would be the right environment for me when I visited, and I appreciated the idea of a supportive college community. I was also able to speak with the physics department, and I was eager to learn in that setting.

How did you find out about the CBL Program?

I had been participating in the Georgetown Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (GUROP), and I wished to continue working in my most recent field of research over the summer. Professor Edward Van Keuren, in whose lab I worked, nominated me for the CBL Program as a Clare Boothe Luce Summer Research Scholar to support my continued research over the summer.

During the summer, with the support of Professor Van Keuren and Professor Amy Liu, I received the Clare Boothe Luce Scholarship for 2018-2019. GUROP Director Sonia Jacobson helped by submitting materials and relaying information on the decisions of the Luce Program.

Tell us about your research.

Throughout the summer and this upcoming academic year, I am conducting research in the Van Keuren Lab with Professor Van Keuren. My research uses solvatochromic dyes to calculate parameters of interaction for solvents, polymers, and powders, in order to predict interactions between these chemicals and choose components for optimal dispersion.

How do you expect this award to help your research career?

Thanks to the support of the Clare Boothe Luce Summer Research Scholarship, I was able to continue this research over the summer and through my senior year. By the end of that time, I hope to have a strong foothold in the research, having obtained data that will focus my efforts for my senior thesis. I will have the benefit of a more comprehensive research experience to prepare me for the future.

What are your future plans?

I intend to attend a Ph.D. program in physics and to pursue a career in research.