Lindsey Tonge of White Lane has received one of the first two Clare Booth Luce scholarships awarded by the College of the Holy Cross. The college received a major grant from the Henry Luce Foundation in the amount of $420,532 to encourage women undergraduates to major in the physical sciences, including mathematics, computer science, physics, and chemistry.
The Clare Boothe Luce Scholarship is awarded to two women majoring in the physical sciences who are entering their fourth year of study at the college. The scholarship will cover tuition, room and board, and fees. In addition, the college will support Luce Scholars with paid research fellowships during the summer prior to the start of their senior year.
Tonge, a chemistry major, has also received a fellowship from the American Cancer Society to conduct cancer research at UMass Medical School under Nobel Prize-winner Craig Mello. During the school year Tonge works under Sarah Petty, assistant professor of chemistry, researching protein misfolding.
On campus Tonge is a co-chair of the Science Ambassadors, a student group dedicated to making science fun for kids of all ages. She is also an altar server coordinator, a member of the Holy Cross Goodtime Marching and Pep Band, and a volunteer in the Worcester community. Upon graduation, Tonge plans to go to graduate school and obtain her Ph.D. in chemistry.
