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August 31, 2001
An Undergraduate Education Challenge
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has issued a challenge to
science professors across the United States: Show the same ingenuity in
your undergraduate teaching that you do in your scientific
research.
HHMI announced today that it plans to award $1 million each to 20
research scientists on the basis of their plans to transmit the
excitement and values of scientific research to undergraduate
education. Those selected will become "HHMI Professors" and receive
4-year grants of $250,000 annually to apply their creativity and
enthusiasm to undergraduate teaching. HHMI has invited 84 research
universities to nominate tenured faculty members to compete for the
grants, which it will award in the fall of 2002.
Institute President Thomas R. Cech explained why HHMI has issued the
challenge. "Research is advancing at a breathtaking pace, but many
college students are still learning science the same old way, by
listening to lectures in large classes and memorizing facts from
textbooks," he said. "We wish to empower scientists at research
universities to become more involved and come up with really innovative
ideas that 'break the mold' and take a fresh look at science
education."
HHMI has kept the guidelines for the new awards flexible, to
encourage applicants to be as creative as possible. The nominated
scientists might propose, for instance, to teach freshman science
courses in a laboratory setting, use the Internet to create new
learning materials, establish interdisciplinary research teams that
include undergraduates, mentor postdoctoral fellows in how to teach
undergraduates effectively-or something else entirely.
"HHMI seeks to develop a cadre of scientist-educators who will
become leaders in undergraduate teaching as well as research," Cech
explained. "The HHMI Professors and their teaching strategies will
serve as models for fundamental change both on their own campuses and
elsewhere, helping to support and encourage research universities in
their efforts to enhance undergraduate education. We don't know what to
expect in the proposals, but we do expect them to be exciting."
This is the first time that HHMI will award undergraduate science
education grants to individuals. Through its undergraduate biological
sciences education program, HHMI has awarded $476 million since 1988 to
colleges and universities to enhance life sciences education, notably
by expanding undergraduate research opportunities, adding new courses
and faculty, and reaching out to the K-12 education community.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a medical research
organization whose principal mission is the conduct of biomedical
research. Approximately 340 Hughes investigators conduct medical
research in HHMI laboratories at 72 of the nation's leading research
centers and universities. Through its complementary grants program,
HHMI supports science education in the United States and a select group
of researchers abroad.
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Invited
Institutions
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Baylor University
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Tufts University
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Boston College
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Tulane University
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Boston University
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University of Arizona
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Brandeis University
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University of California-Berkeley
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Bringham Young University
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University of California-Davis
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Brown University
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University of California-Irvine
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California Institute of Technology
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University of California-Los Angeles
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Carnegie Mellon University
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University of California-Riverside
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Case Western Reserve University
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University of California-San Diego
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College of William and Mary
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University of California-Santa Barbara
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Columbia University
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University of California-Santa Cruz
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Cornell University
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University of Chicago
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Dartmouth College
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University of Colorado at Boulder
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Duke University
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University of Flordia
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Emory University
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University of Georgia
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George Washington University
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Georgetown University
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University of Iowa
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Georgia Institue of Technology
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University of Kansas
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Harvard University
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University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Howard University
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University of Maryland, College Park
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Indiana University at Bloomington
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University of Miami
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Johns Hopkins University
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University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Lehigh University
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University of Minnesota
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Louisiana State University and A&M College
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Loyola University of Chicago
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University of Notre Dame
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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University of Oklahoma
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Miami University
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University of Oregon
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Michigan State University
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University of Pennsylvania
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New York University
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University of Pittsburgh
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Northwestern University
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University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
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Ohio State University
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University of Rochester
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Pennsylvania State University
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University of Southern California
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Princeton University
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University of Texas at Austin
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Rensselaer Ploytechnic Institute
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University of Utah
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Rice University
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University of Virginia
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Rutgers University, New Brunswick
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University of Washington
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Saint Louis University
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Stanford University
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Vanderbilt University
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SUNY at Binghamton
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Wake Forest University
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SUNY at Buffalo
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Washington University
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SUNY at Stony Brook
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Yale University
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Texas A&M University
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Yeshiva University
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Background: Undergraduate Science
Education at Research Universities
The Problem
- Undergraduates who study science at research universities often
find themselves in large lecture halls being taught by the most junior
faculty. Their interaction tends to be limited with the prominent
research scientists who helped the university earn its reputation.
- The 2001 National Survey of Student Engagement reports that only 25
percent of seniors across all majors at doctoral-intensive universities
work with professors on research outside of course requirements.
(George D. Kuh, professor of higher education, Indiana University at
Bloomington and director of the National Survey of Student Engagement.)
- Many undergraduates take no more than one year of science, often in
introductory courses. (National Research Council, "Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science,
Mathematics, Engineering and Technology.")
- The nation's research universities comprise only 3 percent of all
institutions of higher learning, yet they confer 32 percent of all
baccalaureate degrees and 56 percent of the baccalaureates earned by
students who go on to graduate study in science and engineering. (The
Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research
University, 1998.
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Causes of the Current Situation
Why don't researchers spend more time teaching undergraduates? The
Boyer report notes that:
- Tenure and promotion decisions tend to be based almost entirely on
research and publication rather than on teaching.
- National scientific meetings rarely offer sessions dealing with
effective teaching. When they do, the sessions are often poorly
attended.
- University budgets usually adhere to the principle of departmental
hegemony. As a result, interdisciplinary collaborations that might
include undergraduates often are doomed for lack of departmental
sponsorship.
Possible Solutions
The Boyer Commission made several interesting recommendations,
including these:
- Reconfigure the freshman year to include a small seminar taught by
research faculty who can imbue new students with the excitement of
discovery and provide opportunities for intellectual growth.
- Pair undergraduates with mentors as early as possible and maintain
those relationships throughout their academic careers.
- Prepare students by their senior year to undertake research of the
same character and complexity as that done by first-year graduate
students. Even those who do not go on to graduate school will be well
served as citizens by learning to solve problems analytically.
Models for Change
- Since 1988, HHMI has awarded more than $475 million in grants to
enhance undergraduate science education. The University of Arizona now
considers a faculty member's commitment to undergraduate research in
granting tenure. Colgate University has replaced "cookbook" experiments
with research that can generate results of publishable quality. Cornell
University has created a program that exposes freshmen to research. The
University of Miami invites local community-college students to join
research teams of its faculty members. (Thomas R. Cech, HHMI president,
article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/16/01)
- More than half of all undergraduates at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology take part in an undergraduate research program. (Boyer
Commission)
- Undergraduates at the University of Chicago participate in a
variety of research projects for which they receive either academic
credit or a salary. (Boyer Commission)
- The Georgia Institute of Technology has committed $250,000 to help
faculty members involve more undergraduates in research projects.(Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/17/2000;
)
- Some universities have developed effective programs to help
minority students succeed in the sciences. In a recent article, Freeman A. Hrabowski and Michael F.
Summers described their "formula for success" at the University of
Maryland Baltimore County
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HHMI's New Program
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has issued a challenge to
84 research universities to nominate tenured professors with active
research programs to compete for $20 million in grants. Those selected
will receive $1 million each over four years to help "break the mold"
in science education and strengthen the ties between researchers and
undergraduates. (contact Jennifer Donovan, donovanj@hhmi.org,
301-215-8859)
For program information, contact Mary Bonds, bondsm@hhmi.org (301) 215-8872.
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Howard Hughes
