St. Olaf College Receives $1 Million Science Education Grant

Students interested in becoming a science teacher will soon find a wealth of new resources at St. Olaf College, from a faculty mentor focused on science education to more hands-on teaching and research opportunities.

It's all part of a $1 million grant the college recently received from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). In addition to enabling St. Olaf to provide greater support for students interested in teaching science at both the K-12 and college levels, the four-year grant will also be used to incorporate science into a wider array of disciplines across campus.

"This is a great opportunity to focus on how science intersects with teaching and other disciplines," says Associate Dean for Natural Sciences and Mathematics Matt Richey.

The funding is part of HHMI's new Science Education Initiative. The institute selected 47 colleges and universities across the nation to receive grants totalling more than $50 million that will be used to create more engaging science classes, bring real-world research experiences to students, and increase the diversity of students who study science. The initiative also aims to foster long-term collaboration among the schools receiving the grants.

"HHMI is investing in these schools because they have shown they are superb incubators of new ideas and models that might be replicated by other institutions to improve how science is taught in college," says Sean B. Carroll, vice president of science education at HHMI. "We know that these schools have engaged faculty. They care deeply about teaching and how effectively their students are learning about science."

Head to St. Olaf News for the rest of the story.

Editor's note: Story courtesy of St. Olaf News

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