Howard Hughes Medical Institute Awards University of Richmond $900,000 Grant for Teaching, Research in the Sciences
May 21, 2004
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has awarded the University of Richmond a $900,000 grant for a project to integrate teaching and research across several undergraduate science disciplines.
One of only 42 undergraduate science education program grants being given to American colleges and universities this year, Richmond's is its first from the prestigious, Chevy Chase, Md.-based institute. HHMI, among the largest non-profit medical research organizations in the world, makes the grants to baccalaureate and master's degree institutions once every four years.
The university will apply the funds to hiring additional faculty and developing new courses at the cutting edge of biology and related sciences, especially in bioinformatics and mathematics. Students will have new research opportunities early in their undergraduate years, including working in biomedical science laboratories at The George Washington University. Faculty will collaborate with colleagues and attend workshops at labs and science centers around the country.
HHMI is developing a $500 million research facility in Loudoun County, Va., expected to employ 200 to 300 scientists and contribute significantly to the development of biotechnology industries in Virginia.
"The HHMI grant represents another major endorsement for the quality of our science program at Richmond and will enable us to better serve our students in coming years," said university President William E. Cooper.
Richmond joins 41 other colleges and universities in sharing $49.7 million granted by HHMI this year in this year's program. Others include Amherst, Bryn Mawr, Carleton, Davidson, Haverford, Swarthmore, Wesleyan and Williams. The grant recognizes Richmond's strong commitment to science and its plans for an interdisciplinary approach and efforts to develop a community of student researchers on campus.
Richmond's Gottwald Science Center is currently undergoing a $35 million renovation and expansion. In addition, the university plans a series of science program enhancements totaling more than $60 million over the next decade.
Although its investigators conduct research at universities and medical schools, HHMI supports science at colleges because they also play a vital role in education, said Peter Bruns, vice president for grants and special programs at HHMI.
"Good science can be done in different settings, in colleges as well as universities," says Bruns. "Colleges are a better learning environment for some students, and they serve underrepresented minorities extremely well."
HHMI invited 198 public and private baccalaureate and master's institutions to compete for the new awards. They were selected for their record of preparing students for graduate education and careers in research, teaching or medicine. A panel of distinguished scientists and educators reviewed proposals and recommended the 42 awards approved by the Institute's board of trustees May 4.