Oakton receives $677,000 grant to support STEM scholars

The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency responsible for enhancing the progress of science, has awarded Oakton Community College a $676,512 grant to support science, technology, engineering and mathematics scholars at the college. Oakton's board of trustees approved the funding on Tuesday, Dec. 11.

The five-year grant will provide around 50 scholarships for full-time students interested in STEM fields to attend the college tuition free. The grant seeks to recruit high-achieving, low-income, students with demonstrated financial needs. While all students will be considered, scholarships will be aimed to target underrepresented populations in STEM, such as females, students of color and those who identify as LGBTQ, according to college officials. The first scholarships are expected to be awarded for the fall 2019 semester.

"This program is designed to remove some of the barriers that students encounter in challenging STEM coursework through a holistic program of supportive services and STEM engagement," Suzanne Ziegenhorn, Oakton associate professor of biology and principle investigator for the grant, says.

Mario Borha, assistant professor of mathematics, and Gloria Liu, coordinator of the Center for Promoting STEM, will serve as co-principle investigators for the grant.

Other grant highlights include the following:

• Providing students with mentors

• Establishing a STEM Scholarship Club;

• Funding STEM events, including symposiums and transfer opportunities to four-year colleges

• Preparing STEM courses at the college to be paired with other disciplines.

Ziegenhorn says that a portion of the money will be also be set aside for summer research internships outside the college to give students the opportunity to see what it is like to work full time in STEM careers. This will allow students to see what researchers do close-up and stay invested in STEM curricula, she says.

"Understanding the impact of this holistic approach at the community college level will contribute to the current knowledge base of effective practices in STEM student success," Ziegenhorn adds. "The knowledge developed as a result of this project may be utilized by other community colleges as they develop strategies to recruit engage, retain and graduate and transfer STEM students."

Applications for scholarships will be available starting in spring 2019. For information, including how to apply for a scholarship, email stemscholar@oakton.edu.