Women in Science Incentive Prize (United States)

The cash prize will support U.S.-based women working to find innovative, science-based solutions as climate change increasingly exacerbates the intensity, frequency and duration of extreme events.

Areas of Interest

Successful applicants will be addressing extreme events through the use or development of one or more of the following:

• Advanced sensor monitoring and modeling techniques to improve prediction of extreme events and/or increase community resilience to natural climate-induced disasters (for example, satellite imaging technology).
• Computational tools to improve understanding of extreme event drivers and spatial occurrence as well as the way they make decisions about natural resources and the built environment.
• Effective land management practices that reduce wildfire risk, including controlled burns and fuel management.
• Ecological restoration practices for post-wildfire landscapes to promote biodiversity and ecosystem health.
• Urban extreme heat mitigation strategies including development and use of novel materials, community planning/”green” design, personal comfort devices for infants and elderly, etc.
• In the area of food systems, climate-resilient and soil-focused land management practices that increase resistance to drought and extreme temperatures, and reduce erosion (for example, climate-smart agriculture, regenerative farming and crop genetics).
• Awareness or education campaigns that would improve the public’s understanding of climate change and extreme event probability in their own community, and how to increase climate resilience

Prize Information

• A total of 5 recipients will be awarded $5,000 each and potential media coverage via The Story Exchange, which produces videos, articles and podcasts for entrepreneurial women.
• Finalists will be selected by a panel of judges following a rigorous scientific review and based on an assessment by The Story Exchange editors.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible candidates for the Women In Science Incentive Prize will be scientists with advanced degrees in the fields of physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, agronomy, environmental science, meteorology or closely related fields; or
• entrepreneurs with advanced degrees who are creating science-based products and technologies to help mitigate/reduce the impact of climate change through innovative practices focused on extreme events.

For more information, visit Multistory.