Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant

PLNU AWARDED $800,000 FOR 
INNOVATIVE SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

SAN DIEGO (May 24, 204) -- Point Loma Nazarene University has been awarded $800,000 by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for science education, undergraduate research and community outreach.
     The four-year grant is part of $49.7 million awarded by HHMI to 42 baccalaureate and master’s degree institutions in 17 states and Puerto Rico. It’s PLNU’s second and largest grant from the Chevy Chase, Md., based institution.
     “The Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant endorses Point Loma’s commitment to science education and outreach to the community,” said Darrel Falk, associate provost for research and dean of graduate and continuing education. “Our existing programs will be strengthened, and we’ll be able to expand with new ones.”
     The grant will fund biology curriculum development, and community outreach to inner city high school students and science teachers. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona College, Harvey Mudd College, Humboldt State and Occidental are other institutions in California to receive HHMI grants. (Click here for a full list.)
     Point Loma Nazarene University received its first HHMI grant in1996, when the institute awarded the university $750,000 over four years to support faculty development, undergraduate research, and community outreach.
     In particular, the award was used to establish the University NOW program, which brings inner-city high school students to campus for a college experience in biology and writing. Also, the funding launched the Perspectives on Science Lecture Series, which brings high school science teachers and local scientists together each month for a seminar, dinner, and conversation about the latest findings in science. One of the first presenters was Nobel Laureate Sir Francis Crick.
     The current award will be used to 
     * expand undergraduate research in biology and chemistry – PLNU has a strong history of undergraduate research, and was host this April to the prestigious annual West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference
     * reform major and non-major biology courses according to the recommendations of the National Science Foundation.
     * expand community outreach programs -- University NOW and Perspectives on Science will be continued with this award. In addition, HHMI funds will be used to expand SEASAND (Science Education Association of San Diego), which offers intensive summer institutes for middle-school science teachers. SEASAND is a joint collaboration between UCSD and PLNU; it was established and is currently funded by a California Science Project grant.
     The HHMI grants, ranging from $500,000 to $1.6 million, support a variety of programs across the country to improve undergraduate science. For instance, the grants will fund new courses in hot fields such as bioinformatics and computational biology, support training in teaching for postdoctoral fellows, and pay for a mobile teaching laboratory to bring science to disadvantaged and minority students in remote areas.
    Undergraduate biology is not well funded nationally, notes Stephen Barkanic, director of HHMI’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. Smaller colleges and universities, in particular, often are overlooked.”
     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. This year’s grants bring HHMI’s investment in undergraduate science to more than $606 million.
     According to a 2000 index by the National Research Council, Point Loma Nazarene University ranked among the top 10 private colleges and universities in California for producing graduates to successfully pursue graduate degrees. Since 1989, 81 percent of PLNU students who have applied to medical school have been accepted – more than double the national average.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dawne Page, PLNU associate professor of biology, at 619.849.2204 (DawnePage@pointloma.edu)
Darrel Falk, PLNU associate provost, at 619.849.2273 (DarrelFalk@pointloma.edu)
David Strawn, PLNU dean of arts and sciences, at 619.849.2365 (DavidStrawn@pointloma.edu)
Jennifer Donovan, HHMI, 301.215.8859; cell 230.401.5783 (donovanj@hhmi.org)