Patricia Asiatico has been selected as a Clare Boothe Luce Scholar.
The scholarship will allow Patricia to participate in summer research experience throughout the summer and academic year, as well as networking and mentor opportunities.
“This award will let me gain experience in a field that will get me closer to what I want to do in the future,” Patricia said. The experience that she seeks is working with sustainable structures. This summer, she will work with Madeleine Flint to study life cycle analyses on buildings by taking all material processes and looking at their environmental impact from raw material extraction, manufacturing, and disposal.
Following graduation, Patricia seeks to get her Master’s degree in Structural Engineering, preferably at Virginia Tech. Ultimately, her goal is to work in a firm that focuses on sustainable structures or works toward net zero energy buildings.
“I am extremely thankful to receive this honor because of the experience that comes with it,” she said. “I’ve had a vision of working with green buildings since high school when I went to a Climate Change Academy in Alaska. Getting to do research with Dr. Flint will help me materialize the vision that I’ve had for a while and narrow down what I really want to do with structures in the future.”
The award was established by Clare Boothe Luce, who was a playwright, journalist, U.S. Ambassador to Italy, and the first woman elected to Congress from Connecticut. She aimed “to encourage women to enter, study, graduate, and teach” in science, mathematics, and engineering. The program has supported more than 2,500 women and has become one of the most significant sources of private support in these areas.