Scholarship For Muslim Women Honors Pioneering Scientist

By JEFF KAROUB/Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) - The family of an Iraq-born woman who developed a pioneering drug for congestive heart failure in the United States has created a scholarship for Muslim women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

The Adawia Alousi Scholars program was established at the Dearborn, Michigan-based Center for Arab American Philanthropy with money from Alousi's family trust. It's believed to be the first of its kind. The inaugural class of 11 recipients includes refugees, daughters of poor parents and the first in their families to go to college.

Creators say the scholarship aims to overcome what creators see as a lack of Muslim women in the fields known by the acronym STEM.

One recipient, University of North Carolina freshman Tasneem Essader, feels a kinship with Alousi, who died in 2010.

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