Tuition and professional development for a dozen biology majors at Johnson & Wales University (JWU) will be covered through a U.S. National Science Foundation grant worth nearly $1 million, the school announced Wednesday.
The federal foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program is the source of the five-year, $999,960 grant, designed to subsidize education for academically talented low-income students in STEM fields, and help increase student retention, outcomes and career readiness offerings.
JWU’s new grant award will provide scholarships of up to $15,000 annually for up to four consecutive years of study. The money will be administered through the new JWU STEM Supplement Grant and will help eligible students meet 100% of their financial need.
“This program will be life changing for scholars,” said Nicole Urban, a professor in JWU’s Department of Biological and Physical Sciences, in a statement Wednesday. “It will allow them to focus on their studies and extra-curricular opportunities that are critical for their careers rather than working quite so much to finance their educations.”
Urban and fellow science faculty professor Kristin Rosler will serve as principal investigators for the project and administer the awards.
“We are excited that this program will equip our Scholars to take seats at the lab bench,” Rosler said in a statement, noting her hope that the program could help grow Rhode Island’s emergent biotechnology industry.
In addition to covering tuition and attendance costs, the program will provide mentorship, professional development, and training for students to better communicate the science in which they’re involved. The program’s career preparation aspects are designed to keep students ready to enter biotech careers in the Ocean State.
Glenn Robertelli, the executive director of trade group RI Bio, called the grant award “outstanding” in a statement, and added that it “advances Rhode Island’s efforts to develop a future-ready life sciences talent pipeline and prepares students for well-paying careers in the sector.”
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
