LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2003 /FW/ --- L'Oreal, the world's number one cosmetics company, continues to support women and education with the launch of "Women of Science U.S. Fellowship Program."

In a release yesterday, L'Oreal announced that the company will award 5 annual fellowships of $20,000 each, to young women who are graduate students or post doctoral researchers in the natural sciences, engineering, computer science and mathematics.

The fellowship grant is part of the annual "Women of Science Award," a L'Oreal project created in cooperation with UNESCO. The annual award ceremony is held in Paris "where fifteen young scientists are selected to receive fellowship grants, in addition to the selection of five Laureates, representing five different regions of the globe, who are honored for their leadership role in the scientific community."

The U.S. fellowship program is new this year and the first ones will be announced on March 2004. A jury comprised primarily of for Women in Science North American Laureate winners will select the yearly recipients.

Detailed information about the fellowship program and how to apply can be found at L'Oreal's website: www.lorealusa.com/forwomeninscience.

Recipients of L'Oreal's "Women of Science" award include Yale Sterling Professor Dr. Joan Steitz, molecular biology; Dr. Indira Nath of India, immunology; Dr. Adeyinka Gladys Falusi of Nigeria, molecular genetics; Dr. Johanna Levelt Sengers of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, thermodynamics and the criticality of fluid mixtures.

In addition, the program has awarded 55 fellowships to young women scientists, coming from all regions of the world including Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, the Ivory Coast and Palestine.