Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Science Education Grant

Lewis & Clark received a four-year, $1.3 million grant that was awarded in 2008. L&C’s Undergraduate Science Education Program Grant “Collaborative Approaches to Undergraduate Science Educations” (C.A.U.S.E.) has several major initiatives.

Student Research and Broadening Access to Science

The Collaborative Research Program (CRT), which is designed to broaden access to science, is structured around the idea of laddered research teams: each three-person team consists of a faculty member, a Lewis & Clark science major, and a high school or community college student. The primary aim is to provide students with a rigorous, lab-based experience emphasizing the collaborative nature of scientific research. In other words, participants explore what a future career as a scientist or mathematician might be like. The summer research program combines research opportunities for L & C undergraduates with mentoring and outreach to their high school/community college research team member.

In addition, Lewis & Clark hosts the Science Without Limits Symposium in the fall. This two-day event, by showcasing new and exciting developments in interdisciplinary areas of scientific research, successfully engages and informs a broad audience of students, faculty and community members through presentations, joint colloquiums and interactive activities.

Curriculum, Equipment, and Laboratory Development

The grant also provides funds for new interdisciplinary science curricula
in the fields of neuroscience, bioinformatics, and biophysics— as well as a course designed for non majors that  emphasizes the unity of scientific thought.

The development of the new interdisciplinary science curricula in the fields of neuroscience, bioinformatics and biophysics will be supported by the additional expertise of Distinguished Visiting Scholars and postdoctoral teaching fellows.

For more information regarding the work being done on the development of neuroscience courses, please visit the Neuroscience Initiatives page.

Faculty Development

The  grant also supports a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellows Program. This program will  provide valuable teaching training for the Postdoctoral Fellows as they support the teaching mission of neuroscience, biophysics and bioinformatics. They will also play an important role in supporting existing faculty as they expand their expertise in emerging interdisciplinary areas, and in supporting the development of new curriculum and courses.

Pre-College and Outreach

This component has two primary initiatives:

1. The first component revolves around the inclusion of high school and community college students as team members of the HHMI-CRT Summer Research Program.
2. The second component is an undergraduate led Student Outreach Leadership Team (SOLT) that promotes access to science and math through tutoring and mentoring students in our partner schools and also supports high school and community college students or “emerging scholars”  as they prepare for the HHMI-CRT Summer Research Program. For more information, visit the SOLT program page.

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