A $998,759 grant announced earlier this month will provide scholarships for 18 students pursuing degrees in STEM fields. A separate $510,000 grant shared by professors at two institutions will fund research focused ultimately on developing new and exotic materials for specific applications.

$1.5M in National Science Foundation Grants Boosts Opportunities at St. Norbert

Two grants totalling $1.5 million will boost research and provide new opportunities for science majors at St. Norbert.

A $998,759 grant announced earlier this month will provide scholarships for 18 students pursuing degrees in STEM felds, and a separate $510,000 grant shared by professors at two institutions will fund research focused ultimately on developing new and exotic materials for specific applications. Both grants come from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Scholarships
The $998,759 gift announced earlier this month – one of the largest single grants the college has ever received – comes from the NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics initiative. It supports the Community-building, Mentoring & Research Experiences to Develop Undergraduate STEM Majors’ Scientific Identities & Preparation for STEM Careers initiative, and will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated need at St. Norbert College.

Over its five-year duration, this project will fund four years of scholarships to 18 students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in any of the STEM fields of biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, geology, mathematics and physics.

“We are all very excited to receive this National Science Foundation grant,” said Anindo Choudhury (Biology, Environmental Science). “This grant is doubly gratifying because it resonates deeply with the mission of our institution as a Norbertine, Catholic liberal arts college.”

Opportunity
A second, $510,000, grant from the NSF, was awarded to Nick Mauro (Physics) and his research partner, Kenneth Kelton of Washington University. This shared grant will fund research focused primarily in the areas of materials science and engineering and will be supported for three years beginning in the 2019-20 academic year.

Mauro says: “This collaborative research effort between a small liberal arts college and a larger R1 [research-focused] university will work to encourage training in STEM fields in both communities. Undergraduate and graduate students will participate in research at academic institutions and at national laboratories, giving them valuable experience for deciding on their future educational and career paths.”

Communio
Jenn Bonds-Raacke, the college’s new vice president of academic affairs, notes the attention these announcements bring to science education at the college: “Both grants are a recognition of the high quality research and teaching in the sciences at St. Norbert. The grants demonstrate the commitment our faculty have to mentoring and developing SNC students as scientists.”

Several divisions across campus partnered to earn the STEM grant. “Our efforts will help to pave the way for other ambitious knowledge-sharing endeavors that go beyond materials science,” Mauro says. 

July 30, 2019