Irene Piscopo Rodgers School of Science Named at the University of Mary Washington

The University of Mary Washington has established and named the Irene Piscopo Rodgers School of Science. Approved by the Board of Visitors at the September 2025 meeting, the naming of the School of Science recognizes the extraordinary gifts of the 1959 alumna, who was a pioneer in her field of electron microscopy and an ardent supporter of students’ continued education and advancement in the liberal arts and sciences at Mary Washington.

Housed in the Jepson Science Center, the School of Science offers a collaborative approach and shared space for innovations and initiatives. It includes the biological sciences, chemistry and physics, and earth and environmental sciences.

“Irene’s generosity ensures that our students will continue to explore, discover and lead in the sciences for generations to come,” said UMW President Troy Paino.

A lifetime supporter of her alma mater, Rodgers passed away in 2022, leaving more than $35 million to the University of Mary Washington, far surpassing any prior gifts and establishing the largest one-time fund in the 117-year history of the institution. As a loyal and dedicated alumna, she served on class reunion committees, attended numerous events and stayed in contact with classmates and with her scholarship recipients, often exchanging notes of appreciation and aspiration for their work.

“Irene inspires our students in so many ways, from being a role model over decades to encouraging the next generation of scientists to complete their first experiment, work closely in a lab or head into the field alongside our talented and dedicated faculty,” said Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Katie Turcotte. “The Irene Piscopo Rodgers School of Science is a powerful reminder that discovery begins with curiosity and courage, but that there’s always someone cheering you on, blazing the trail and walking with you on your journey at Mary Washington.”

After graduating from Mary Washington, Rodgers (shown here in a picture from 2013) went on to earn a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan. She worked for the American Cyanamid Company and Philips Electronic Instruments, making a name for herself in the field of electron microscopy.

Rodgers chats with one of her Mary Washington beneficiaries, Orlando Stewart Jr. As an undergrad, Stewart, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UMW in 2015, studied the role of sunlight in breaking down oil from a 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Rodgers earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from what was then known as Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia, followed by a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan. She worked for the American Cyanamid Company and Philips Electronic Instruments. In 2004, she gifted a transmission electron microscope to UMW and volunteered her time and expertise to train faculty and students in its use.

During her lifetime, she named a microscopy lab and several Alvey Scholarships after her late parents, Justin and Helen Piscopo. She also established eight full-ride Alvey Scholarships for out-of-state students, adding four posthumously, three endowments in support of scientific research, and two other scholarships for students in STEM, with additional gifts for the Beyond the Classroom Endowment and various other annual gifts. In total, with gifts made during her lifetime and the sum of the estate gift, Rodgers has contributed more than $45 million to the University of Mary Washington.

“That amount is unparalleled at an undergraduate institution – on par with funding at Research 1 institutions, but dedicated to undergraduates, who will gain the experience of hands-on research, working side-by-side with faculty on solutions they care about. UMW students have an opportunity that can’t be found anywhere else,” said UMW Provost Tim O’Donnell.

Showcasing an interdisciplinary approach, UMW student researchers collect samples on the Potomac along with Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Tyler Frankel. Photo provided by Dr. Sarah Smith.

Through its new Piscopo Rodgers Science Fellows Program, a competitive funding opportunity buoyed by the largest gift in University history, UMW expects to support 15 students in their first year. Mary Washington offers more than 100 majors, minors and areas of study.

Senior Autumn Pembelton checks on the red milkweed beetles that are part of her Summer Science Institute project. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

A student works on a research project inside UMW’s Jepson Science Center, home to UMW’s newly established Irene Piscopo Rodgers School of Science, which includes the biological sciences, chemistry and physics departments, and earth and environmental science.

Through the Piscopo Rodgers Science Fellows Program, incoming UMW students can pursue undergraduate research from their first days on campus, with scholarship funding up to $6,600 per year, plus guaranteed class placements in their major.

They also have access to the Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 Summer Science Institute, a 10-week program for undergraduate STEM majors, which was named in her memory in 2024, during its 25th anniversary. With transformational gifts toward science research during her lifetime and through her estate, the institute has grown significantly, benefitting more than 500 students in a quarter century.

Rodgers’ generous gifts to date have funded 115 students with research fellowships, scientific presentation grants for conference travel, and other scholarship awards, which include 24 Alvey Scholarship recipients. The awards and impact continue to grow.

The Irene Piscopo Rodgers School of Science is one of two new schools within the College of Arts and Sciences at UMW, approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) in summer 2025. The School of the Arts, which includes art, historic preservation, music and theatre, brings together areas with significant programming, community outreach and specialized instruction.

Carleigh Wood (left) and Delaney Humphrey, both biology majors on a pre-med track, present their research on myotonic dystrophy using fruit flies during the Jepson Science Center Fall Research Symposium. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Professor of Physics Matthew Fleenor (left) works with Jason Walker ’24, then a senior, during the Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 Summer Science Institute. Walker used capabilities like narrowband imaging and mosaicking to better understand the environments where stars are currently forming. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Pamela Grothe (wearing blue baseball cap) explores with students during an off-campus excursion. UMW’s new Irene Piscopo Rodgers School of Science incorporates earth and environmental science with the chemistry and physics department and the biological sciences.

UMW’s Irene Piscopo Rodgers School of Science is led by Director Lynn Lewis, professor of biological sciences. A former poultry virologist for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Lewis is an expert on microbiology and virology, including bacterial and viral disease mechanisms, microbial physiology and veterinary microbiology.

“Irene’s extraordinary generosity ensures that the sciences at UMW can continue to thrive in the way she most cherished – by supporting students and championing undergraduate research. Her generosity strengthens the foundation our students build their careers on, and we are deeply grateful for this transformative endowment,” said Lewis.

Learn more about the Irene Piscopo Rodgers School of Science and the opportunities affording to incoming students through the Piscopo Rodgers Science Fellows Program online or in-person through campus visits and fall Open Houses.

Learn more about establishing scholarships and how private support makes a difference in the lives of UMW students who receive them, along with research fellowships and internship grants.