UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 33, Page 1
May 28, 1992
Hughes Institute gives $1M to attract students to science

     Undergraduate science education at the University of Delaware
received a major boost May 27 with a $1 million grant from the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), President David P. Roselle announced.
     The five-year grant will support several efforts aimed at
attracting undergraduate students to studies and careers in the
sciences.
     "This grant will enable us to encourage more students to pursue
careers in science by exposing them early on to the challenges and
excitement of the research laboratory," Roselle said. "It is
particularly gratifying to see this new initiative build and expand
upon two successful University programs-our University Honors Program,
with its popular undergraduate research component, and the College of
Engineering's RISE Program, which has increased minority enrollment in
the college to some 14.5 percent."
     Principal investigator for the grant is Philip A. Gottlieb,
assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry. "The most important
features of this grant are the minority program and the more
integrated approach to science education," Gottlieb said.
     The components of the Delaware grant include:
     * Development of a model program called PRIME (Project to Insure
Minority Education) to attract and integrate minority undergraduates
in the study of chemistry and biochemistry, modeled after the
University's successful RISE Program in the College of Engineering.
PRIME will include counseling and advisement during all four
undergraduate years, assistance from a tutorial staff and a summer
institute preceding the freshman year;
     * Introduction of new laboratories in life and health sciences
and chemistry and biochemistry, which take an interdisciplinary
approach to biological problems. These laboratories, carried out in a
five-week intensive period, will examine pre-defined problems but
allow students the independence found in research environments;
     * Establishment of scholarships providing fully funded laboratory
experiences for research work in the junior and senior years, building
upon the success of the University Honors Program's innovative
Undergraduate Research Program. This program will allow students to
work independently in faculty research laboratories for two summers;
and
     * Establishment of a new series of laboratories in the School of
Life and Health Sciences dealing with the scientific process. Open to
all students, these laboratories will be attached to specific courses
in areas such as molecular genetics, physiology, neurobiology and
microbiology, and they will establish a sound foundation for future
research endeavors.
     The Howard Hughes Medical Institute awarded grants totaling $52.5
million to 42 universities for programs aimed at keeping American
students competitive in science and mathematics.
     Established in 1953, the institute employs scientists in cell
biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience and structural biology.
Hughes investigators conduct medical research in laboratories at
medical centers and universities nationwide. Through its grants
program, HHMI supports science education in the United States and a
select group of research fellows abroad.