Chemistry Professor Completes Women in STEM Leadership Program

Monday, August 28, 2017
Luanne Tilstra working with a female student in the lab

Dr. Luanne Tilstra, a passionate advocate for diversity in STEM fields, recently completed the Women in STEM Leadership workshop hosted by Bryn Mawr College.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology chemistry professor Luanne Tilstra completed the Women in STEM Leadership workshop conducted this summer at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania as part of the Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) program.

The Henry Luce Foundation and its Clare Booth Luce program have been longtime supporters of advancing women into leadership roles in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields (STEM), and advocating senior positions supporting STEM. A key part of the program is the development of a HERS STEM Community, providing peer and mentor connections at various career stages. This collaboration helps shape a new environment for equality and excellence in STEM higher education.

Tilstra was among 68 women leaders from across the nation attending the HERS Institute, 34 of whom were part of the HERS Luce Program. Her participation was supported by the offices of the president and academic affairs at Rose-Hulman.

“While learning about strategies for institutional advancement and guiding an academic institution through change was educational, spending two weeks with 67 ambitious, intelligent women was empowering,” Tilstra says. I’m looking forward to sharing many of these lessons with my Rose-Hulman colleagues.