HHMI Searching for Top Scientists to Put in the Classroom

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is searching for up to 15 leading scientists-educators with great ideas for transforming science education. As new HHMI professors, each of the scientists will receive $1 million over five years to create activities that integrate their own research with student learning in ways that enhance undergraduate students' understanding of science.

HHMI's director for precollege and undergraduate science education Davis Asai says that students benefit most when scientists draw on their own interests and expertise in their educational activities. That being said, HHMI professors are accomplished research scientists who are deeply committed to making science more engaging for undergrads. By providing scientists with funds, HHMI hopes to empower these individuals to create new models for teaching science at research universities. Score!

Along with the five year grant, each professor becomes a permanent member of the community of current and former HHMI professors known as the Society of HHMI Professors, a community of scholars who share ideas and collaborate to improve science education.

40 scientists have been name HHMI professors since the program began in 2002. Those scientists have introduced innovative approaches for teaching science in the classroom, expanded and enhanced student research opportunities, developed new educational resources and implemented novel mentoring programs for student support. 

The competition, which opened yesterday, is looking for scientists who are thinking broadly and creatively about important challenges in science education. HHMI notes that natural science professors at the approximately 100 research universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as having "very high research activity" are invited to apply.

Applicants can apply online at www.hhmi.org/competitions. Prospective applicants must establish their eligibility by June 4, 2013, and applications must be completed by July 16, 2013. A panel of distinguished scientists and educators will review the proposals, and finalists will be invited to present their proposed activities at a symposium in May 204. HHMI will announce the awardees in the summer of 2014.

For more information about HHMI professors, this opportunity and to see what else David Asai has to say, click here.

Community Colleges Crucial for New Scientists

It's been regurgitated more times than you can count the past few years: the United States needs to grow and diversify it's STEM workforce if it wants to remain competitive with other countries and the new global economy. Something I bet you haven't heard, however, is that community colleges are starting to become more and more important in this process. 

The stats say that more than 50 percent of lower-income and racial-minority students, along with 40 percent of all students, start off at community college. Of all these students, a mere 10 percent even consider a pathway in STEM. And usually, the students that do picture themselves in a STEM field initially change their minds as their studies progress.

The numbers get worse when you look at women. Of the 500,000 associate's degrees earned each year by women at community college's, a depressing five percent are in STEM fields.

Since finances are so important to a number of today's students, community colleges have the flexibility the budget-savvy student needs. The problem: while enrollment at community colleges is up, it's in large part due to one-year technical training programs. Not enough students are transferring to universities to obtain four-year degrees (what you need to get a job in the high-demand STEM fields).

So, how do we get get students to transfer to four-year universities after finishing up at a community college? That's were it gets tough...right now alignment between community colleges and four-year universities is the exception rather than the rule. Frequently, promising future scientists leave their major because certain credits don't transfer or because they don't feel invited into the science community at the university they're looking at. Alignment efforts couple with proper advising can change this!

Read some of Becky Wai-Ling Packard's commentary on the subject.