The four-year grant will include improvements in biology classes. K-State was one of 58 out of 191 schools to receive a grant. James Guikema, interim associate dean of biology and a member of the committee that submitted the proposal to HHMI, said the grant will be beneficial to the university. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute focuses on biomedical research and has awarded grants in this program since 1988. Brian Spooner, professor and director of the Division of Biology, said funds will affect areas such as access to research experience, faculty development, curricular development, classroom improvement, teaching laboratory equipment and education of high school science teachers.
All funds are for undergraduate biological science.
Beth Montelone, associate professor of biology and a member of the proposal committee, said the grant will help the faculty and students. Montelone is on the executive committee that will oversee research scholars in the genetics curriculum. Montelone said the past grant money was used to hire a coordinator to provide pre-health students with a mentor program, provide workshops for high school teachers and provide five scholarships for a summer research project. Student Publications Inc. All rights reserved. This document may be distributed electronically, provided it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice.