Posted on April 23, 2008

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HHMI Awards $60 Million to Invigorate Undergraduate Science Education

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, has announced grants totaling $60 million to forty-eight U.S. undergraduate institutions to help revitalize their life sciences instruction by creating more engaging classes, bringing real-world research experiences to students, and increasing the diversity of students who study science.

Grants ranging from $700,000 to $1.6 million will be awarded over the next four years to traditional liberal arts colleges, historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), small religious schools, and state institutions. More than 25 percent of the schools have never received an HHMI grant — the largest number of new HHMI grantees in more than a decade. This year, five HBCUs received awards — up from three in 2004 — including North Carolina Central University, a first-time grantee.

The grants are intended to encourage flexibility and creativity, giving schools opportunities to come up with novel strategies that work in numerous settings with a variety of students. Some will add modern techniques or interdisciplinary classes to their traditional curriculum, while others will completely redesign their biological science majors. Many plan to involve more students in research through classroom-based courses and summer laboratory programs.

"This diverse pool of grant recipients and large number of first-time awardees shows that HHMI is committed to fund new ideas and new ways of approaching science education," said Peter J. Bruns, HHMI's vice president for grants and special programs. "We want to help create successful models for teaching science that can spread throughout the higher education community."

“HHMI Awards $60 Million to Invigorate Science Teaching at Liberal Arts Colleges.” Howard Hughes Medical Institute Press Release 4/22/08.

Primary Subject: Education
Secondary Subject(s): Higher Education, Science/Technology
Location(s): National

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