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Hiram College Awarded $1.2 Million Grant
HIRAM, Ohio -- Hiram College has been awarded a $1.2 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as part of the organization's undergraduate science education program. The award is a four-year grant to support the integration of original research into courses within the Hiram curriculum and to increase opportunities for independent student research.The grant also will provide for key equipment purchases which will increase student research possibilities within and beyond courses. Best practices developed through the Hiram effort will be disseminated to high school and college faculty through summer workshops and research collaborations, according to Hiram College President Thomas V. Chema."The Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant is an extraordinary third-party endorsement of the strength of our science program, as well as the position Hiram enjoys in the higher education marketplace," Chema said. "This funding will strengthen our commitment to provide experiential learning opportunities for students in all disciplines."The Hiram proposal, "Original Research Within Courses: A Magnet to Attract and Retain a New Generation of Life Scientists," builds on the success of the Hiram Genomics Initiative, an effort led by Associate Professor of Biology Brad Goodner. The Genomics Initiative engaged undergraduates and high school students in research on gene organization and function in the genomes of several important soil bacteria, including a bacterial species that can naturally transfer DNA to plant cells.The Howard Hughes Medical Institute awarded $49.7 million in grants to 42 baccalaureate and master's degree institutions in 17 states and Puerto Rico. The grants range from $500,000 to $1.6 million and support a variety of programs to improve undergraduate science. The institute received 170 proposals which were reviewed by an external review panel composed of scientists and educators. Other schools to receive funding include Amherst, Bates, Williams, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, and Ohio colleges Kenyon and Wooster. This brings the institute's investment in undergraduate science to more than $606 million, according to Stephen Barkanic, director of the institute's undergraduate science education program."Public and private funders tend to focus their support on research programs, infrastructure, and graduate training, but undergraduate biology tends to be neglected," said Barkanic. "Smaller colleges and universities, in particular, often are overlooked in the intensive competition for grant dollars."Visit Hiram College: www.hiram.edu"