Amelia Earhart Fellowship District 29 September 2017 AMELIA

Amelia Earhart Fellowship District 29 September 2017

AMELIA EARHART FELLOWSHIP AEROSPACE-RELATED SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING AWARD US$10, 000 to 35 innovative women from around the globe each year DEADLINE 15 NOVEMBER 2017 SUBMISSIONS ZONTA INTERNATIONAL 1211 West 22 nd Street, Suite 900 | Oak Brook, IL 60523, USA T: +1 -630 -928 -1400 | F: +1 -630 -928 -1559 | programs@zonta. org

Amelia Earhart Biography • • • Amelia Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author. She was the first female aviator to fly solo cross the Atlantic Ocean. She received the Distinguished Flying Cross for this achievement. Born 24 July 1897 in Atchison, Kansas, USA Disappeared in the Pacific Ocean 2 July 1937 Became interested in aviation when she visited a stunt-flying exhibition as a teenager Graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1915, and took her first flying lesson in January 1921. She managed to save enough to buy her own plane in 6 months The plane was red, named the Canary, and she used it to set the first women’s record by rising to an altitude of 14, 000 feet In June 1928 she set another women’s record – crossing the Atlantic. It took 21 hours. In 1937 she became the first person to fly solo over the Pacific Ocean June 1 st 1937 she left Miami with her navigator Fred Noonan in her plane Electra for the 29, 000 mile round the world flight With only 7, 000 miles to go, the plane disappeared on 2 July between New Guinea and Howland Island, never to be heard of again

Amelia Earhart’s non-flying career • 1925 hired as part time English teacher • 1928 joined Cosmopolitan Magazine in Boston as an associate editor, writing eight articles a year on aviation • 1930 became vice president of the New York, Philadelphia and Washington Airway Corporation • 1932 met privately with the pope in Rome, lunch with Belgian king and queen and was given the National Geographic gold medal by president Hoover

Amelia Earhart and Zonta • Amelia Earhart was invited to join Zonta Club of Boston in 1928. She accepted the invitation. • Moved from Boston to New York in 1930 and became an active member of the Zonta club of New York – the only non-professional organization to which she belonged. • Her sister members of the New York Zonta club awarded her the Zonta Trophy in 1932.

Letter to her husband After she disappeared, her husband made public a letter she had left with him. Please know that I am quite aware of the hazards. I want to do it – because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.

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Conspiracy and Other Theories • • • Some say she ran out of gas over a vast stretch of the Pacific. Others argue she landed on the Pacific island called Nikumaroro, before dying. A partial skeleton of a castaway found in the 1940 s on the Nikumaroro show some similarities to Amelia, some scientists say. An anomaly found on the seafloor off the Nikumaroro coast supports that theory. In 2015 a theory appeared that her plan crashed in the Marshall Islands, on an atoll named Mili. An expedition had uncovered an aluminium plate and part of landing gear wheel assembly believed to come from her plane. A follow up theory to the Marshall Island one emerged in 2017 claiming that Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were rescued by the Japanese after crash landing in the Marshall Islands and then taken to a Japanese prison where they died in captivity. Whatever the truth, she still lives in our Zonta spirit and in all our fantastic Amelia Earhart fellows around the world

Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship • • The purpose is to empower women through encouragement and financial support of women pursuing Ph. D. /doctoral degrees in aerospace-related sciences or aerospace-related engineering. The Amelia Earhart Fellowships focus on eliminating the gender bias that women face in pursuing doctoral degrees in the sciences and engineering. Initially envisioned as a USD 500 loan in 1938 it was changed to a scholarship already the following year. In 1964 it was changed to a fellowship to make it more special. The amount has gradually increased and is USD 10, 000 since 2008. Since 1996, 35 new fellowships are given out every year The International Amelia Earhart Fellowship Committee evaluates all applications and recommends the new fellows to the Zonta International Board for approval. Application deadline is 15 November every year

How to apply Check Zonta Website/Amelia Earhart Fellowship for information about • Eligibility • Requirement • Application form • How to apply www. zonta. org You find it easiest by opening My Zonta, scroll down to the bottom of the page where you find Useful Links. Click on Amelia Earhart Fellowship. PS. The fellowship is $10, 000 to 30 fellows worldwide each year

Documents on the Website • • • Description of program Statistics and overview Application Form List of the most recent fellows and their bios Amelia Earhart Newsletters Amelia Earhart poster to post on university boards • List of fellow universities • News

Action Plan • Find universities • Contact universities, in person if possible • Sales pitch – the fellowship will spread the word about the university • Give them all information on the ZI website • Inform them which universities have fellows • Ask them to put the poster on the board • Send reminders up until application date • Ask for feedback • Go back and tell them which universities actually have the fellows

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Celebration event • • • Arrange at convenient location Engage nearest club Send out an attractive invitation Dinner or drinks Invite all new and old AE fellows Make sure club members attend Invite governor to hand out wing pin and diploma Have a relevant and interesting speaker or Show a video about Amelia Earhart Fellowship Take many pictures Put the pictures on the Zonta website

ZONTA AMELIA EARHART DINNER

You are invited! District Governor NN and Zonta Club NN welcome you to the celebration dinner and ceremony for our new Amelia Earhart fellows studying in (name of country) • • Time: Friday 12 February 2016 at 6. 30 pm Place: Hotel, 22, Street, Town 2 course dinner, drinks and coffee or tea €xx person RSVP by email to NN

Now, lets go out and market the fellowship and get some more fellows in D 29

Q&A Britt Gustawsson Chairman Amelia Earhart District Committee Zonta International District 29 Empowering Women through Service and Advocacy London, England M: +44 07768 351 254 Skype: Britt. gustawsson | www. zonta. org

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