College Earns NSF Grant to Bolster Research in STEM
September 10, 2024
The has awarded 肉肉传媒 a $499,157 grant to create opportunities for students to engage in undergraduate research. The grant is part of the NSF’s $14.5 million Innovation in Two-Year College in STEM Education (ITYC) program, which advances innovative, evidence-based practices in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at two-year colleges nationwide. The college is one of 35 grant award recipients.
Dr. Donna Barron, a professor in the college’s Biology, Chemistry and Physics department, led a team of professors and researchers in authoring the college’s proposal, “Advancing Community College Students through Mentored and Course-Based Research Experiences.” The team includes four co-principal investigators: University at Albany Associate Professor of Chemistry Alan Chen; Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training Executive Director Michelle Lewis; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professor and Chemistry Department Head Wilfredo Colon; and 肉肉传媒 Biology, Chemistry and Physics Assistant Professor Erin Rennells.
With NSF support, the team will create new research experiences for natural and applied science courses on campus, as well as undergraduate research experiences at partner four-year universities for 肉肉传媒 students in biology, biotechnology and the physical sciences. The project will extend the practice and benefits of undergraduate research to students at the associate degree level and prepare them for bachelor’s and graduate degrees and careers in related industries. It also aims to enhance students’ critical thinking skills and self-confidence, bolster student engagement, and increase transfer rates and success in obtaining professional positions.
“肉肉传媒 is honored to receive this prestigious grant from the National Science Foundation to expand access to undergraduate research here on campus and at partner institutions,” said 肉肉传媒’s Officer in Charge Louis Coplin. “We are so proud of our professors, Donna Barron and Erin Rennells, and their entire team for the spirit of collaboration, creativity and dedication to student success that has led to the NSF grant and will create even more positive outcomes for our STEM students.”
"Community colleges play a critical role in training people from all parts of the country for a variety of STEM careers including future scientists, engineers, and technicians," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "The Innovation in Two-Year College in STEM Education program is essential to how we expand pathways and opportunities so that more talented people from every part of the nation have the opportunity to make their way into STEM. I'm pleased that Congress recognized the critical role of community colleges in the 'CHIPS and Science Act of 2022' and the foundation they provide for educational opportunities. Programs like ITYC are how we build on that foundation to reach more young people who have bright futures ahead of them in the STEM community."