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Amelia Earhart Fellowships
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German physics professor and current Zontian Monika Auweter-Kurtz was named the President of the University of Hamburg in November 2006. Just prior to this appointment, Ms. Auweter-Kurtz received the Federal Service Cross First Class award honoring her achievements in the area of aeronautics and space technology as well as her efforts to promote women in science. Ms. Auweter-Kurtz previously served on a German delegation discussing the peaceful use of space and space technology.
Australian engineering professor Jean Armstrong was awarded the prestigious Peter Doherty Prize for Innovation in 2006. The AUS$100,000 prize is intended to assist researchers in bringing their outstanding new technology to market and is considered Australia's most valuable prize for innovation. Ms. Armstrong's winning research involved the development of optical fibers that carry more data over longer distances, greatly increasing the speed of existing internet lines.
Armenian Ph.D. student Tsoline Mikaelian is developing intelligent systems for spacecraft, rovers, aircraft and robots that are able to diagnose and repair themselves.
Japanese astronaut Naoko Sumino was chosen to work
in space on Japan’s first manned space facility.
Their talents vary and their laboratories span the globe, but these amazing women do have a tie that binds. They are all Amelia Earhart Fellows. Read about the 2008 Fellows.
As the world moves forward at light speed, Amelia Earhart Fellows aren’t far behind, evolving their
studies to address the many needs in aerospace-
related science and engineering, and narrowing the gender gap in these traditionally male-dominated fields.
However, women in science and engineering remain a distinct minority, representing approximately 10 percent of professionals in these fields.
The Amelia Earhart Fellowships are making a difference. The financial support provided by the Fellowships means these talented women can invest in state-of-the-art computers to conduct their research, purchase expensive books and resource materials, participate in specialized studies around the globe, and ultimately achieve their educational goals. AE Fellows have gone on to become astronauts, aerospace engineers, astronomers, professors, geologists, business owners, heads of companies, even the Secretary of the US Air Force. Many have attained positions that provide a platform for influencing policies that improve the lives of women everywhere in a profound manner. |
How is the Amelia Earhart Program supported?
Amelia Earhart Fellowships are made possible by generous contributions to the Zonta International Foundation Amelia Earhart Fellowships Fund. Contribute Now | History
After hearing of Amelia Earhart's disappearance in 1937, the Zonta Club of Bakersfield, California, USA suggested honoring the trailblazing Zontian with a scholarship that would further her deep interest in the science of aeronautics. Read about Amelia. |
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Zonta has awarded
1,227 Amelia Earhart Fellowships totaling
US$7 million to women from 58 countries | 
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"This Fellowship gave me a sense of encouragement, being supported by a community that guides future Amelia Earharts with the hope that they in turn would pave the road for others."
-Tsoline Mikaelian
2004 Fellow
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The Zonta International Board established a committee to gather information on the subject from many sources: the National Aeronautics Association, commercial aviation companies, airports and flying schools, universities and engineering institutes. The committee's research revealed testimony that women, given the proper training, were capable of carrying on specialized work in various departments of aviation and that many opportunities for their services were open in that wide and complex field.
In 1938, Zonta established the Amelia Earhart Fellowships. Few women were active in aeronautics, science or engineering at the time - no qualified applicants were even found in the first two years the Fellowship was offered. Yet Zontians did not doubt the success of such a scholarship program and faithfully supported it, instituting it as a loan to women pursuing graduate education in the aerospace field.
In 1952, the Amelia Earhart Fellowship (by that time an award rather than a loan) became, by constitutional amendment, Zonta’s first continuing international service program. |
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January is Amelia Earhart Month
In addition to the Amelia Earhart Fellowship program, Zontians have shown their admiration for Amelia in several ways. In 1963, the Amelia Earhart commemorative
airmail postage stamp, for which Zontians fervently campaigned, was issued by the United States Postmaster-General. The Zonta Club of Atchison, Kansas, erected a life-sized bronze statue of Earhart in the International Forest of Friendship in Atchison, Amelia’s birthplace. The Zonta Club of Schenectady, New York, purchased a replica of Amelia’s plane, now housed at the New York Aerospace Museum.
Clubs from all over the world honor her trailblazing spirit every January. 11 January is designated as Amelia Earhart Day, commemorating the day she became the first woman to fly solo over the Pacific Ocean. |
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