Schools

UCLA, SMC Get $5.8 Million Federal Grant

The grant is intended to drive minority students toward science-related degrees and careers.

A major effort is being made to spur interest in science-related degrees and careers among underrepresented minority students, including those who attend California community colleges such as . On Thursday, it was announced that SMC and the University of California, Los Angeles have received a $5.8 million federal grant for the initiative.

The money will be used to "recruit [underrepresented minority] students, educate them and give them guidance and support," SMC said in a statement.

The college "has an excellent transfer rate to such institutions as UCLA, and our science faculty is top-notch, but we’ve never had a concerted effort to move underrepresented minority students through our college into four-year institutions in the sciences,” SMC Director of Grants Laurie McQuay-Peninger said in a statement.

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“This grant will provide a golden opportunity to get these students excited about the sciences and math and into high-paying and prestigious careers,” she added.

Statewide, the U.S. Department of Education is awarding $37 million to community colleges attended by Latino students. The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Grant will be allocated over the course of five years and also benefit female, black and American Indian students.

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Nationwide, the STEM Grant is intended to prepare and inspire students in science-related fields. According to STEMGrants.com, roughly one-third of bachelor’s degrees that are earned in the United States are in science-related fields; in China and Japan, the majority of related degrees are in those disciplines.

Underrepresented minority groups only account for roughly 18 percent of science and engineering baccalaureates that are issued, and only 28 percent of individuals in related occupations, according to SMC.

McQuay-Peninger said SMC will implement a STEM Scholars Program, through which 100 students interested in science will be enrolled annually. SMC's STEM effort will also involve increasing awareness of science-related career opportunities; offering lectures, counseling and workshops; furthering professional development among faculty members; boosting lab and field research opportunities; updating equipment and instruments; and providing summer bridge programs at UCLA.

Last year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration awarded SMC's Computer Science & Information Systems Department a three-year grant to promote research in STEM-related fields.

Late last month, the Department of Education awarded $2,898,578 in grants to strengthen education programs in STEM fields. On the receiving end were 12 colleges and universities that serve large minority populations, including California State University, Bakersfield and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

Five years ago, the federal government poured $3.12 billion into STEM education and activities for from the pre-kindergarten through the postgraduate level.


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