Janet E. Sorrells, a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and a Ph.D. student in bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is one of 110 doctoral students in the U.S. and Canada selected to receive a $20,000 Scholar Award from the Philanthropic Educational Organization Sisterhood.
At the Beckman Institute, Sorrells conducts research within the Biophotonics Imaging Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Stephen Boppart.
"I am incredibly lucky to be in a position where I am surrounded by incredible people and encouraged to do research that I am interested in and passionate about. The support of the Bioengineering Department, the Beckman Institute, and the Biophotonics Imaging Lab have given me the skills and opportunities needed to be competitive for national awards like this," Sorrells said.
She was sponsored by Chapter JP of Urbana, Ill. Janet received her B.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Rochester in 2018, where she was the recipient of a Tau Beta Pi Scholarship Award and a Take Five Scholarship, among many other honors.
The P.E.O. Scholar Awards were established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. Scholar Awards recipients are a select group of women chosen for their high level of academic achievement and their potential for having a positive impact on society.
"Janet’s receipt of this National Scholar Award from the Philanthropic Educational Organization is a much-deserved honor, and a testament to Janet’s tireless scholarly work to not only advance the science and engineering of optical imaging, but also to lead and mentor other students along their research and career paths. Janet’s contributions to a diverse, interdisciplinary, team-science culture has benefited so many others in the group, at Beckman, and across campus. She truly represents and pursues academic and scholarly excellence, and will be one of our next-generation leaders in our field," said Boppart, who is also a professor and the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering at UIUC.
The P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded January 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is a philanthropic educational organization dedicated to supporting higher education for women. There are approximately 6,000 local chapters in the United States and Canada with nearly a quarter of a million active members.
