For Immediate Release
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11/15/2016
National Science Foundation Grant Awarded to Suffolk to Increase STEM Degrees for Underrepresented Minority Students
Suffolk County Community College will be awarded $100,000 of a $4
million grant as a partner institution in the SUNY Louis Stokes Alliances for
Minority Participation (SUNY LSAMP) program. The program is a collaboration of
14 SUNY schools who are partnering in the new five-year National Science
Foundation (NSF) grant designed to increase undergraduate and graduate degrees
in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among
underrepresented minority student populations.
“The strength and success of Suffolk’s STEM scholars and the vital role of
community colleges, particularly Suffolk, remain crucial entry points and
valued partners in this LSAMP alliance within SUNY. This results in long
ranging benefits for our diverse students, enabling them to bridge from the
community college to the baccalaureate level, on to graduate school and into
the STEM workforce-the next generation of STEM scholars,” said Suffolk County
Community College President Dr. Shaun L. McKay.
Dr. Candice Foley, Suffolk County Community College will serve as a SUNY LSAMP
Associate Director for the alliance; responsible for community college
activities, successful 2-4 year transfers, and as a liaison to National Science
Foundation (NSF) programs. The five-year award includes funds for
stipends to Suffolk STEM students to engage in authentic research experiences –
a known high impact practice for increasing participation and completion by
underrepresented populations in STEM. Stony Brook and the other SUNY
schools will look to expand the alliance and create additional STEM curriculum
opportunities for students.
Over the next five years, the three leading goals of the project will be to:
- meet the continuing challenge of preparing under represented students for a successful transition into STEM majors;
- provide experimental activities that lead to socialization into science; and
- promote systemic change by broadening participation in research.
Suffolk County Community College is building a two-story, 33,792- square-foot Renewable Energy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Center on the Michael J. Grant, Brentwood campus that will be the first of its kind in the state community college system.