The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has named Associate Professor Leslie Hewitt A'00 a 2020 Guggenheim Fellow. She is one of a diverse group of 175 writers, scholars, artists, and scientists who were selected from almost 3,000 applicants in the Foundation’s ninety-fifth competition. Previous recipients include writers James Baldwin and Alice Walker, biologist, author, and conservationist Rachel Carson, and fellow Cooper faculty and artist Dennis Adams.

“It’s exceptionally encouraging to be able to share such positive news at this terribly challenging time” said Edward Hirsch, President of the Foundation. “A Guggenheim Fellowship has always offered practical assistance, helping Fellows do their work. As we grapple with the difficulties of the moment, it is also important to look to the future. The artists, writers, scholars, and scientific researchers supported by the Fellowship will help us understand and learn from what we are enduring individually and collectively, and it is an honor for the Foundation to help them do their essential work.”