Undergraduate biology education is in the midst of a revolution, and 44 research universities will receive $80 million from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to help them address the challenges of a rapidly changing and increasingly interdisciplinary science. The grants will support programs that encourage graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to hone their teaching skills. Other programs will bring emerging scientific disciplines such as genomics and computational biology into the undergraduate curriculum and encourage minorities to pursue careers in science.
The four-year grants to universities in 28 states and the District of Columbia range from $1.2 million to $2.2 million each. A panel of scientists and educators reviewed proposals from 189 institutions.
Washington University, which has been funded by this program since 1992, will receive $2.2 million over four years to provide wide-ranging services and support for undergraduate and K-12 science education. Sarah CR. Elgin, Ph.D., professor of biology, directs the Washington University Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education Program. Washington University was funded at $1.7 million, plus interest, in 1992, $1.4 million in 1994 and $1.7 million in 1998 from the HHMI program.
"The grant will allow us to sustain successful programs in undergraduate research and K-12 science outreach while funding innovative new curriculum in the natural sciences," said Elgin. "We're constantly moving to institutionalize the successful efforts in science education. The willingness of Howard Hughes Medical Institute to provide sustained support is certainly important in realizin
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Contact: Tony Fitzpatrick
tony_fitzpatrick@aismail.wustl.edu
314-935-5272
Washington University in St. Louis
9-Jul-2002