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June 26 , 2006
Howard Hughes Medical Institute $1.9M
grant supports science education

BY beverly clark

Emory is one of 50 research universities in the nation to receive a share of $86.4 million for undergraduate science education from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Emory’s four-year, $1.9 million grant marks the fifth consecutive time since 1989 the University has received the HHMI education grant, one of only a few universities to be awarded consecutively.

Emory will use the grant to support ongoing student research, mentoring and education initiatives as well as new program development and community outreach.

“HHMI’s continued investment in Emory’s science education initiatives over the past 15 years has been a
catalyst for progressive and lasting change in undergraduate science education and outreach,” said Pat Marsteller, director of Emory’s Center for Science Education, which oversees the HHMI-funded programs. “The grants are critical to our continued success, and have supported wide-ranging initiatives that have attracted more students to science careers and enhanced the knowledge of all students during a time when science literacy is vital.”

The HHMI grant will support Emory’s SURE program—the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience—and enable it to include freshmen and sophomores. The Center for Science Education also will develop certificate programs in teaching and mentoring for graduate students and postdoctoral associates, and create undergraduate interdisciplinary science courses and research opportunities in strategic areas such as neuroscience, nanotechnology, cancer biology and genomics.

The funds also will provide new opportunities for graduate students, undergraduates and faculty to work with teachers to improve middle and high school science, including summer internships for local teachers in research and curriculum development.

HHMI has supported undergraduate science education at the nation’s colleges and universities since 1988. Through its undergraduate grants, the institute has provided 247 institutions of higher learning with nearly $700 million for programs that include undergraduate research opportunities; new faculty, courses and labs; teaching and mentoring training; and work with precollege students and teachers.

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