Philadelphia Area Alumnae Panhellenic's 2020 Graduate Scholarship Recipient, Katie Rose

The scholarship committee and sisters of the Philadelphia Area Alumnae Panhellenic congratulate the 2020 PAAP Graduate Scholarship recipient, Katie Rose.

Katie, a Kappa Alpha Theta, is a Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). She is currently conducting research on nanoparticle diffusion within hydrogels. Her goal is to become a tenured professor of STEM.

Engineering is a field with few women faculty members, so in addition to teaching and research, Katie hopes to become a resource and mentor for other women pursuing this area. As a research professor, she hopes to investigate fundamental principles behind drug delivery. As our world faces an unprecedented public health crisis, the need for highly educated and committed scientists has never been clearer.

As an undergraduate at Case Western Reserve University, Katie served as Panhellenic Vice President of Service and Philanthropy and received the Glen Nicholls Character of Distinction award from the Greek Life Office. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Polymer Science and Engineering and a minor in Chemistry. At Penn she is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and a Research and Education in Active Coating Technologies Fellow.

Her academic adviser called her “a natural leader” and a “very rare talent.” In addition

to her academic pursuits at Penn, Katie participates in outreach programs to promote STEM fields to high school and undergraduate students.

Katie is also an involved alumna. A member of the Philadelphia Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta, she is also the community involvement advisor to the Theta chapter at Penn and part of Theta’s mentorship program. The president of Kappa Alpha Theta’s local alumnae chapter described Katie as “a leader who is she is developing and mentoring the next generation of leading women.”

With her outstanding academic achievements, commitment to her sorority, and involvement with the community, Katie Rose exemplifies all the best qualities of a sorority woman.

This year, the scholarship committee received 14 applications, and held a virtual meeting to determine the winner of the $4,000 unrestricted scholarship. Katie will be the guest of honor at the rescheduled 2020 PAAP luncheon, date to be determined.