Carly Masonheimer ’21, Chemistry

When Carly Masonheimer '21 was a kid, she dreamed of being an astronaut. While she hasn't reached the stars yet, Carly is already doing real scientific research, inside and outside of class.

The chemistry major from Northampton, Pa., spent her summer on campus doing chemistry research that's fully funded by Bucknell's Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholars program, and proving that "women can do this, too."

Here's what Carly says about the experience:

On being a chemistry major

"When I told people that I was thinking of being a chemistry major they were like, 'Oh, man, good luck.' [But] if you put in the effort, and you really try to learn the material, it's definitely possible."

On undergraduate research opportunities

"I feel really lucky that I have all these opportunities. I have the opportunity to get involved in all these different leadership positions and be involved in research at such an early point. We're doing stuff that graduate students will do — [but] as undergraduates, which is really special."

On her Clare Boothe Luce grant

"One thing Bucknell does that's really awesome is [offer] a summer grant that I actually just got awarded called the Clare Boothe Luce grant. It's a grant for the summer to come do research with a professor and it's only available to women in underrepresented STEM fields."

Learn more about Carly's story in the video above.