FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION:

Cindy Fox Aisen
(317)843-2276
aisenc@hhmi.org
Howard Hughes
Medical Institute

(301) 215-8500

Boston University Boston, MA $1.5 million

Neuroscience at Boston University is booming. Introduced as an undergraduate major just a year and a half ago, it will be the second most popular science major in the College of Arts and Sciences by this fall. More

Brown University Providence, RI $1 million

When Michael McKeown worked in a laboratory for the first time as an undergraduate, he quickly felt part of the team. More

California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA $1.6 million

The California Institute of Technology has never been a by-the-book kind of school. Its students thrive on big challenges, such as investigative research projects that they help design. More

Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA $1 million

Science majors at Carnegie Mellon University are a dedicated and curious lot. More than 85 percent of biology majors participate in mentored research during their undergraduate careers. More

Clemson University Clemson, SC $1 million

Many of South Carolina's middle and high school students need support to interest them in college and prepare them for the high-level work required there. More

College of William and Mary Williamsburg, VA $1.2 million

For the past two years, a handful of freshman biology students at the College of William and Mary have jumped directly from high school into hands-on research on dirt-dwelling, bacteria-infecting viruses called phage. More

Cornell University Ithaca, NY $800,000

Each summer dozens of teachers descend on the small, lakeside city of Ithaca, New York. Settling into Cornell University's dorms for up to two weeks, they spend their days attending lectures by leading researchers, sharpening their laboratory skills, and exploring the natural gorges, fossil sites, and bogs in the area. More

Dartmouth College Hanover, NH $800,000

Chem 5 is a tough rite of passage for chemistry and biology majors at Dartmouth College. More

Duke University Durham, NC $1 million

To many scientists, there is no wilder place than the human brain. Understanding it fully takes cross-disciplinary, collaborative work spanning fields such as genetics, evolutionary biology, and psychology. More

Emory University Atlanta, GA $1.8 million

When Emory University set up its first, modest HHMI-sponsored undergraduate research program in the late 1980s, skeptics wondered whether Emory faculty would be willing to have undergrads in their labs, Pat Marsteller recalls. More

Florida International University Miami, FL $1 million

With 40,000 undergraduates and a high percentage of students drawn from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, Florida International University generates more science and engineering graduates who are members of minority groups than any other school in the nation. More

Georgetown University Washington, DC $1.6 million

A career in scientific research might seem like a long shot for students at Montgomery College, a community college in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. More

Harvard University Cambridge, MA $800,000

Many research centers bring together scientists from different fields so they can apply their diverse perspectives to common problems. Harvard University wants future scientists to approach every problem with an interdisciplinary perspective of their own. More

Iowa State University Ames, IA $1.6 million

Going green excites students—especially those who can use science to explore ways to keep the planet healthy. More

Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA $1.5 million

Lehigh University wants to keep pace with a changing scientific culture that is placing new demands on researchers. Today's students must be prepared to work and think across disciplines, and it takes a culture shift on campus to make that happen. More

Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA $1.4 million

Participating in undergraduate research can open entire scientific vistas that students never knew existed. At Louisiana State University, undergraduate researchers will also have the opportunity see the world. More

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA $1.8 million

For the past 20 years, HHMI funding has helped strengthen education outreach and the undergraduate biology curriculum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. More

Montana State University Bozeman, MT $1.2 million

Montana State University wants more Native American students to get into college—and science. “We have 12 Native American tribes and seven reservations in this state,” says Gwen Jacobs, an MSU neuroscientist and the HHMI program director. More

New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM $1.8 million

When high school students touch their tongues to paper strips infused with the organic compound PTC, some wrinkle their noses at the bitter taste. More

North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC $1.5 million

Here's one way to get high school students excited about biology: let them loose in a marsh. “They get to go out in canoes, get their hands and feet wet and muddy, and have a good time while they're exploring a hypothesis that they test as a scientist would.” More

Northwestern University Evanston, IL $2 million

The trick to keeping undergraduates in science, says biochemistry professor Linda Hicke, is to start early. In her experience, students who join her lab as freshmen and sophomores are the ones who are most interested in going on to graduate school and are most successful in their postgraduate careers. More

Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA $1 million

Scientists know that sometimes their best insights begin with a simple observation. That's certainly true at Pennsylvania State University, where the biology faculty began noticing that a growing number of their students were asking about obtaining their high school teaching certification. More

Princeton University Princeton, NJ $1.5 million

Whether fighting for funds for supplies and equipment or trying to find time to learn about scientific advances, high school science teachers face numerous challenges as they struggle to make science compelling and exciting for their students. More

Purdue University West Lafayette, IN $1.5 million

College students who study biology are awash in a sea of complex data. But when it comes to the tools required to analyze and interpret that data, most undergraduates don't equip themselves early enough. More

Rice University Houston, TX $1.2 million

A low-cost fluorescence microscope that makes malaria and tuberculosis diagnosis easier. A backpack full of diagnostic tools—including a microscope, centrifuge, and rapid tests—that nurses in the developing world can use to accurately determine what is making a patient sick. More

State University of New York at Binghamton Binghamton, NY $1.4 million

For more than 60 years, undergraduate students at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton have been involved in biology research. More

State University of New York at Stony Brook Stony Brook, NY $1.5 million

Faculty at the State University of New York at Stony Brook know that tomorrow's top scientists could come from any college in the country. But unless those future scientists get a chance to tinker with the tools of science in research projects of their own, they may never know how exhilarating—and attainable—such a career path can be. More

University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL $1.5 million

University of Alabama biology professor Martha Powell feels a special call to help students from minority groups get into science, because of the legacy of segregation in the state and the persistent barriers that remain in Alabama and nationwide. She wants to make it easier for students to leap those barriers. More

University of Arizona Tucson, AZ $1.8 million

Over the past four years, advanced math students at the University of Arizona have been wrestling with biology in their calculus and statistics courses: calculating drug accumulation rates and analyzing child development trends, while also grappling concepts traditionally in their math courses. More

University of California, Davis Davis, CA $1.2 million

With the economic recession forcing more students to attend community college, the transition to a four-year university can be particularly tough for those who are interested in engaging in undergraduate research. More

University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA $1.2 million

The University of California, Los Angeles—one of the country's top 10 feeder schools for science and engineering Ph.D. programs—has a solid track record of engaging students in science. More

University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA $1 million

At the University of California, Santa Barbara, hundreds of sophomores take the introductory biology course each year. Soon, each one will get a taste of doing original research on the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, a widely used genetic model. More

University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder, CO $1.8 million

Snakes are a source of fascination—or disgust—for many people, but they hold a special place in the hearts of some researchers and students at the University of Colorado at Boulder. More

University of Delaware Newark, DE $1.2 million

To analyze data, biologists use statistics. The tools of calculus help them arrive at the rates of diffusion across cell membranes, the weights of proteins, and animal population models. More

University of Florida Gainesville, FL $1.2 million

Many students enter the University of Florida eager to dive into scientific research. They have completed advanced placement classes in high school and arrive on campus well versed in the basics of science and ready for some hands-on experience. More

University of Maryland, Baltimore County Baltimore, MD $1.5 million

To Michael Summers, boosting diversity in the science community requires creating the right conditions: assembling a group of high-achieving students, insisting they set high goals for themselves, and giving them early research experience and mentoring. More

University of Maryland, College Park College Park, MD $1.5 million

The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, supports a rich diversity of plant and animal life. But pollution and poor water quality threaten those ecosystems and have a significant impact on the 17 million people who live in the Chesapeake watershed. More

University of Miami Coral Gables, FL $1.4 million

One challenge facing many schools is how best to attract first-generation college students and those from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences to pursue careers in science. More

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN $1.5 million

For postdoctoral researchers, teaching can be as big a challenge—and as rewarding an endeavor—as unraveling the knottiest of problems in their fields. More

University of Missouri, Columbia Columbia, MO $1.5 million

Whose job is it to convey scientific discoveries to the public? Many scientists would say, “Not me.” But, traditional newspapers and other media outlets have been hit hard by the economic downturn. More

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC $1.3 million

Among the most vexing challenges facing scientists today is devising effective strategies to significantly increase diversity in the research community. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has taken a first step toward that goal with its Carolina Covenant Scholars Program, More

University of North Texas Denton, TX $1.3 million

The University of North Texas knows its unique student population. It has the largest number of transfer students in Texas, and half of its students qualify for federal financial aid. More

University of Oregon Eugene, OR $1.5 million

Students taking the typical college science course know the drill: the professor lectures, writes on the board, and asks a few questions. Students take notes and read textbooks. More

University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA $1.2 million

The standard model for undergraduate research has a lot going for it. Students spend a summer or two doing a research project, often get drawn in by the experience of first-hand discovery, and sometimes go on to graduate or medical school. More

University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX $1.6 million

Plum undergraduate research assignments tend to go to students who have already run the gauntlet of introductory classes, labs, and major requirements. While this approach rewards dedication, it can also close doors for talented students who aren’t quickly convinced they want to pursue a career in science. More

University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI $1.4 million

For many students, the first year of college can be both thrilling and terrifying. They must negotiate challenging schedules, learn new study habits, and find their place in a new social structure. More

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA $1.4 million

The strict separation of basic and applied research has been showing cracks for decades, as scientists have been forced to find new approaches and develop new tools to confront increasingly complex challenges. More

Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO $1.6 million

Many undergrads learn about genomics from textbooks and lectures. At Washington University in St. Louis, freshmen in a special genomics course have learned by doing. More

Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI $1 million

Students who hope to become middle or high school science teachers often have a hard time landing summer research opportunities, which are more likely to go to students planning research careers. More

Yale University New Haven, CT $1.6 million

Molecular biology, organic chemistry, and calculus are standard fare for students with medical school in their sights. More

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