The P.E.O. Scholar Awards Board of Trustees takes great pleasure in introducing the 10 young women who have been selected as recipients of Endowed P.E.O. Scholar Awards for 2011-2012. The Scholar Awards trustees thank the donors of these awards and extend congratulations to each of the recipients.
Scholars were selected for this additional honor based on their outstanding academic achievement and their potential to make a difference in their chosen field.
By underwriting the amount of a P.E.O. Scholar Award, donors of Endowed and Named awards are “Opening Doors to Brilliant Futures,” helping talented women with the potential to change the world realize their dreams. The same is true of all P.E.O.s who support the P.E.O. Scholar Awards individually or through their local chapter gifts. Together we can and do support the academic goals and dreams of 85 outstanding women engaging in doctoral level studies or postdoctoral research.
Biographies and photos of all 85 Scholar Award recipients can be found on the Scholar Awards page on the P.E.O. International website at peointernational.org. These biographies make wonderful Scholar Award reports at local chapter meetings.
With your ongoing support, P.E.O. Scholar Awards will continue “Opening Doors to Brilliant Futures. 
2011-2012 Endowed and Named Scholars
Carrie Ellen Brubaker
Mary Louise Remy Endowed Scholar
Postdoctoral Research in bioengineering (biomaterials in immunoengineering) Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Chapter CR , Long Beach, California
Carrie Ellen Brubaker graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.S. in biochemistry and a B.A. in French. She received an M.S. and Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University. Carrie is presently doing her postdoctoral research at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she is working to develop further expertise in polymeric materials for future engineering of nanoscale polymer particles that will activate natural immune cells to promote the destruction of cancer cells. Her Ph.D. research explored polymer-based medical adhesives or super glue for our bodies. Carrie has been awarded numerous honors, grants and awards including being named as a 50 for the Future awardee by the Illinois Technology Foundation and a Christine Merzayan fellow by the Science and Technology Policy National Academy in Washington, D.C. Her goal is to continue to do research as a professor at a leading research institution. Her recommenders believe her research is powerful and among the most innovative they have seen in the past 10 years in this area.
The Mary Louise Remy Endowed P.E.O. Scholar Award was the first endowed award and was established through gifts from California State Chapter in honor of Mary Louise Remy who presided at the Convention of International Chapter in 1991, the year that Scholar Awards was adopted as the fifth project of the P.E.O. Sisterhood.
Stephanie Cassandra Yarnell
Medical Scholar, M.D., Ph.D. microbiology
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Chapter HL, Homosassa, Florida
Stephanie Yarnell holds three B.S. degrees from the University of Georgia in biology, microbiology and ecology, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude. She is now enrolled in a dual M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of Florida. The focus of her research is on mass and emerging diseases, with special interest in the epidemics of communicable diseases. Stephanie has developed a molecular assay for the detection and identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria. Her procedure removes the requirement of weeks to months of culturing time, allowing for quicker diagnoses and treatments. Her university will be filing a patent application for this innovation. She will pursue a residency in infectious disease with a fellowship in tropical medicine, leading to the ultimate goal of employment with a governmental agency such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention or the United Nations.
The Jane B. Smith Endowed Scholar fund was established in 1995 by gifts from Florida state chapters in honor of Jane B. Smith for her many years of service to the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Jane served as President of International Chapter during the 1999-2001 biennium.
Janet G. Yang
Helen G. Shull Memorial Endowed Scholar
Postdoctoral Research in chemistry and chemical engineering
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
Capter QH, Arcadia, California
Janet Yang is a postdoctoral scholar in chemistry and chemical engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Her B.S. degree, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, is from Yale University in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, and her Ph.D. degree is from the University of California at San Francisco in biochemistry. Her Ph.D. research centered on the movement of nutrients, toxins and other molecules in and out of the cell and her current work aims at regulating the environment inside cells by understanding the mechanisms of cellular membrane transporters. Janet aspires to become a professor who will provide excellent classroom instruction as well as a constructive and collaborative laboratory environment. She is also committed to the greater inclusion of underrepresented scholars in her field and is pursuing this goal through participating in minority recruitment and direct mentoring of junior colleagues.
The Helen G. Shull Endowed fund was established in 1998 in her memory by her family. Helen, a 48-year member of P.E.O. was an educator whose specialty was mathematics. Her legacy is the wish that women continue to have the opportunity to be touched by education in all areas of life.
Laura Cote
Annabelle B. Bush Memorial Endowed Scholar
Ph.D. in materials science engineering
Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Chapter CV, Evanston, Illinois
Laura Cote graduated as a James Scholar with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana– Champaign with a B.S. degree in materials science and engineering. She is currently doing her Ph.D. work at Northwestern University in materials science engineering. Laura is a materials scientist whose work involves transforming grapheme oxide, a cousin of ordinary pencil lead, into a highly conductive material. Applications include cheap solar cells, or thin, flexible computer screen displays. In medicine, she will test to see if this same material can work as a patch to heal broken organ membranes. Laura has extensive publications including two cover stories in two different journals. She received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research three-year fellowship. She is the first author to write an invited review on grapheme oxide for the “Pure and Applied Chemistry” journal. One reference wrote that Laura’s intellect is “off the chart.”
The Annabelle B. Bush Memorial Endowed Scholar fund was established in 2006 by members of the Bush family. Annabelle served P.E.O. as the president of California State Chapter in 1983 and was a very dedicated and committed member of P.E.O.
Brigid DeCoursey
Annabelle B. Bush Memorial Endowed ScholarJ.D.
Stanford University, Stanford, California
Chapter I, Little Rock, Arkansas
Brigid DeCoursey is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Tulsa where she earned dual B.S. degrees in biochemistry and environmental policy. She is currently working toward her J.D. degree at Stanford University focusing on government regulation law with emphasis on environment and energy. Brigid has been honored as a Truman Scholar, German Congress Bunderslag Scholar, Morris Udall Scholar, and Coca-Cola National Scholar among others. She worked for three years as an Environmental Policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Transportation before deciding to return to school for a law degree. Brigid recently completed a law clerkship with the U.S. Department of Justice environmental crimes division. She is the executive editor of the Stanford Environmental Law Journal and is a member editor of the Stanford Law Review. Her future plans are to return to Washington, D.C., to work within her interests of law, science and the environment. Brigid is a third generation P.E.O.
The Annabelle B. Bush Memorial Endowed Scholar fund was established in 2006 by members of the Bush family. Annabelle served P.E.O. as the president of California State Chapter in 1983 and was a very dedicated and committed member of P.E.O.
Erin Schoenfelder
Legacy Endowed Scholar
Chapter EN, Sun Lakes, Arizona
Erin Schoenfelder graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Santa Clara University with a B.S. degree in psychology. She then earned an M.S. degree in psychology from Arizona State University where she is currently completing her Ph.D. dissertation. Erin's research focuses on family-based programs to promote children's mental health. She is particularly interested in increasing the effectiveness of programs to prevent mental illness in high risk children and adolescents who have experienced the stress of life adversities such as poverty, divorce or a parent’s death. Erin’s work has been supported by a pre-doctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health and has been disseminated widely through journal publications and conference presentations. Her career goals involve integrating research and clinical work; she is also committed to bridging the gap between institutions and communities.
This endowed fund was established in 2001 by the Van Vlack Family in memory of their mother, Frances Van Vlack and grandmothers, Ruth Van Vlack and Laura Runnells who were all P.E.O. members. These women were committed to providing educational opportunities for women.
Felicity Vabulas
Marian K. Hume Memorial Endowed Scholar
Ph.D. in international relations and public policy
University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Chapter LG, Arlington Heights, Illinois
Felicity Vabulas graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in business administration. Following her B.S., she received an M.S. degree with honors in public policy from the University of Chicago where she has remained to pursue a Ph.D. with an emphasis on international relations from the Harris School of Public Policy Studies. Her dissertation is a case study analysis of the interaction between intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Her data collection will include interviews of key activists across the United States and Western Europe. Felicity’s research will shed light on the role of NGOs working with IGOs to promote international cooperation. Her ultimate professional aspiration is to be a professor who can combine innovative research projects with a clear focus on mentoring and shaping the lives of her students.
This award was established by a generous bequest from Marian K. Hume. Marian was a 56-year member of P.E.O. She served as president of Ohio State Chapter in 1955. She was a great traveler and enjoyed meeting women from different countries and learning about their work. Her legacy to P.E.O. was to continue to help bring higher education to women students. Marian died in 1998.
Sharon Kessler
Idagrace Guy Endowed Scholar
Ph.D. in anthropology
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Chapter AL, Tempe, Arizona
Sharon Kessler graduated from Vassar with a degree in anthropology and pursued this interest at Arizona State University, earning her master’s degree on the way to her Ph.D. She is researching the perceptual and cognitive processes underlying primate social behavior. She is using mouse lemurs to model how kin recognition may have been the foundation for our social systems, humans and lemurs being the only two species that practice cooperative breeding and parenting. Sharon spent half a year working with some of the world’s top researchers in primate vocalizations and mouse lemur genetics in Hannover, Germany. As a National Science Foundation Fellow, Sharon co-taught an elementary school science class, and since being in the field in Madagascar, she has created a website where she provides updates and pictures and uses video/phone conferencing to keep the students informed about her current work. Sharon’s goal is to be a university professor and continue to combine research, teaching and conservation education, mentoring other young women as she has been mentored.
The Idagrace Guy Endowed Scholar fund was established in 1997 by Arthur M. Guy in memory of his wife. Idagrace was initiated into Chapter AA, Evansville, Indiana, in 1961, and in 1970 transferred to Chapter BV, Jackson, Michigan, where she remained an active member until her death in 1995.
Taylor McLachlan
Betty Cook Karrh Endowed Scholar
Ph.D. in materials science and engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
Chapter B, Atlanta, Georgia
Taylor McLachlan is a magna cum laude graduate of Washington & Lee University with degrees in chemistry and physics. As a Ph.D. candidate at Georgia Institute of Technology, she is majoring in materials science and engineering. Her research focuses on two distinct areas: to improve bone implants by enhancing cell adhesion (a collaborative project with researchers at Georgia Tech and in Germany) and engineering new solar cell structures to improve energy affordability by lowering the cost and increasing the power generation per solar cell. She has made substantial contributions in both of these areas and has been named an “Air Force Scholar,” a special recognition given only to a few select students. Taylor states that her career goals are to develop affordable renewable energy and promote human welfare wherever she can—primarily through teaching and researching at a leading liberal arts university.
This award was established in 1997 by Bruce W. Karrh Sr. in memory of his wife, Betty. Betty was a member of Chapter E, Wilmington, Delaware, for only two years before she died in 1997. Bruce wished to recognize her love for P.E.O. in her short time as a sister. A native of Alabama, Betty was an honors student who majored in chemistry.
Lauren Fitzsimmons
Ventura Neale Endowed Scholar
Ph.D. in biology
Carlton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Chapter O, Ottawa, Ontario
Lauren Fitzsimmons is an honors graduate of Queen’s University, received her master’s degree from the University of Windsor and is pursuing her Ph.D. in biology from Carlton University under the guidance of a former P.E.O. Scholar. Her studies have been funded by the prestigious Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and she is the recipient of a number of significant awards for her scholarship. Her Ph.D. research on social and communication networks is an exciting new field in behavioral ecology. She studies acoustic communication and mate choice using spring field crickets, using a custom designed acoustic recording system. Her publications have been described as “ground breaking” and her presentations are garnering national and international acclaim. Lauren is passionate about continuing her teaching and research and demonstrating to her students that a collaborative approach to research can result in a productive, fulfilling career.
This fund was established in 2003 from the Ventura Neale Trust. Ventura was initiated by Chapter AE, Madison, Wisconsin; she later joined chapters in New York and Michigan before transferring to Chapter M, Miami, Florida, where she remained a devoted member until her death in 2003.
