This is the second time campus has received an HHMI grant. Senior biochemistry major Naureen Ali was awarded a fellowship from the institute last year. Ali said she was able to have her own project and participate in research and research symposiums as a supplement to her classwork, due to her fellowship.
Students get a chance to participate in hard-core research before they hit the graduate level.
This year, with the renewal, two new additions will be made to the grant program. In the past, the money went towards funding student research under a faculty mentor. The current campus plan stemming from the grant adds a summer program for pre-college students to do intensive lab work for one week, and a catalyst program for new freshmen to meet the available faculty, Jarmal said. Over 130 students in all have participated in the fellowship program. Until now, a student could not reapply for funding for further study in their original project.