Washington, D.C. (August 15, 2025) - ARCS Foundation Metropolitan Washington Chapter (ARCS MWC) will host its 56th annual Scholar Awards Reception (SAR) at 6:30pm on Thursday, October 23, 2025, in The Great Hall and the Fred Kavli Auditorium at The National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. This premier event will honor and celebrate the prestigious incoming cohort of 21 ARCS MWC Scholars pursuing significant research in science, technology, or medical topics at the five ARCS MWC university partners: Georgetown University, The George Washington University, The Johns Hopkins University, The University of Maryland, and The University of Virginia. The event also highlights the importance of ARCS MWC funding in today’s changing financial landscape for the sciences and engineering.
A reception highlighted by a poster session showcasing each Scholar’s cutting-edge research will precede the awards ceremony and keynote presentation. ARCS MWC is extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Kristen Bloschock as the 2025 SAR keynote speaker. She is Senior Manager, Card Partnerships Operations, at Capital One. Prior to joining Capital One, she held several key roles at Lockheed Martin, including serving as a manager in the Digital Transformation Office. She also accelerated Lockheed Martin’s manufacturing innovation as the Advanced Materials Lead for Advanced Manufacturing. Besides serving on the ARCS MWC Board, she is an active member of other nonprofits and serves on the Advisory Committee for the Industrial Leadership in Physics PhD Program at Georgetown University. Dr. Bloschock was an ARCS MWC Scholar from 2004 to 2007 while a PhD candidate in physics at Georgetown University. In her keynote presentation, she will discuss her journey as a PhD candidate, her career trajectory, how ARCS made a difference while she was a scholar, and giving back to the scientific community. Co-Presidents Julie Hohl and Jane Riddle say “Dr. Bloschock contributes significantly to our continued success as women leaders achieving the ARCS MWC mission, a mission that is all the more important now given reduced national funding for science and engineering.”
More information about the event and registration can be found at www.RSVPtoARCS-MWC.org.
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About ARCS Foundation MWC: ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation is a national, non-profit organization started and run entirely by women. Founded in 1958, its mission is to advance science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to academically outstanding U.S. citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering, and medical research. ARCS MWC, chartered in 1968, has donated over $8 million to over 600 students at its five local partner universities, forwarding 100% of corporate, foundation, and individual donations each year to chapter scholars. ARCS MWC enables novel STEM inventions in areas such as biomedical research, environmental research, space exploration, and computing complexity (among others), leading U.S. technological competitiveness.
