$2 Million Grant Boosts Math and Science Research

Truman was recently awarded a $2 million grant, the largest in the university’s history, by The National Science Foundation. Through the NSF’s Undergraduate Education’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP), the grant will fund programs to help increase the number of students who earn a baccalaureate degree in the areas of math and science over a five-year period.

Dr. Jeffrey Osborn, professor and convener of biology, and Dr. Jason Miller, associate professor of mathematics are serving as co-principle investigators of the grant. Those involved in submitting the grant have worked for almost two years creating the perfect proposal.

“Last year Truman was invited to submit a proposal for the program sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute,” Miller said. “Faculty members created a proposal that wasn’t funded, but we combined ideas with Dr. Osborn to create the STEP proposal.”

Truman’s strong traditions of interdisciplinary studies and undergraduate research make the perfect setting for the STEP program to get off to a quick and successful start. One of the goals of the grant is to support the incorporation of research experiences into courses and the integration of curricula among all science, mathematics, and computer science disciplines. Truman plans to accomplish this goal by providing more undergraduate research opportunities and interdisciplinary initiatives.

According to Miller, STEP will create several new and exciting opportunities for students to participate in undergraduate research. At least 175 Truman students will have the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research during the summer.

“Everyone who is doing research next summer will feel like part of a community,” Miller explained. There will be social and academic events for all researchers to share their findings and to build a sense of teamwork in the math and science disciplines creating what Miller described as a cross-fertilization of ideas.

The STEP program will also help create a smooth transition for transfer students. Truman has recently signed articulation agreements with St. Charles Community College, Metropolitan Community Colleges in Kansas City, and Moberly Area Community College. New support systems will also be made available to transfer students. Transfer students will have access to workshops and other resources during the academic year to help them become comfortable at Truman and they will have the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research.

News of the STEP grant comes at an already exciting time for the math and science departments. The final phase of construction of Magruder Hall, home of the science department, will be completed by fall 2005. When finished, Magruder Hall will be a complete state-of-the-art facility with classrooms, laboratories, a greenhouse and a cyber café. The math department has also announced that they have received a Mathematical Biology grant from the NSF, which funds additional interdisciplinary opportunities between the math and biology departments. This program allows Truman to support several more long-term interdisciplinary research opportunities for students. With all of these happenings already on campus, the STEP grant will only further Truman’s pursuit of excellence in the fields of mathematics and science.