In a span of less than a week, Louisiana State University of Alexandria has received a second National Science Federation grant, bringing the total university award amount to nearly $2 million.
The second award is a five-year NSF S-STEM award amounting to $650,000 that will provide scholarships to enable low-income, talented, domestic students to pursue successful careers in promising STEM fields (biology, chemistry, math).
On March 17, LSUA was awarded a five-year $1.2 million NSF grant to recruit Noyce Scholars and prepare them to be STEM educators in high need schools in Central Louisiana.
“I am still in shock,” said Dr. Gerard Dumancas, LSUA Associate Professor of Chemistry. “These are very competitive national awards and to receive two five-year awards in a week is incredible. I spoke with a counterpart at another institution that has applied for NSF grants for years and has only ever been awarded one for $25,000. It really shows how many good things we have going on here at LSUA and that people recognize that.”
The S-STEM program seeks to increase the number of low-income students who graduate and contribute to the American innovation economy with their STEM knowledge. Recognizing that financial aid alone cannot increase retention and graduation in STEM, the program provides awards to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to fund scholarships and to adapt, implement, and study effective evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities that support recruitment, retention, transfer (if appropriate), student success, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM.
The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program responds to the critical need for highly effective K-12 mathematics, science (including computer science), and engineering teachers. The program seeks to encourage IHEs to develop and sustain a culture where undergraduate STEM majors and STEM professionals, especially those of the highest achievement and ability who might otherwise not have considered a career in K-12 teaching, are encouraged and supported to become teachers in high-need Central Louisiana schools.
“We are very proud of Dr. Dumancas and the rest of his team on the work they are doing to develop more opportunities for STEM majors in Central Louisiana,” said Dr. Paul Coreil, LSUA Chancellor. “With these awards, we will be much better able to ensure all students have access to higher education, especially the growing demand for jobs linked to the innovation economy.”