IUB one of seven institutions to receive maximum research/ teaching grant from HHMI

By David Bricker

• The Summer Research Institute: An outreach program designed to help high school teachers teach science more effectively using cutting-edge tools and examples.

• The Integrated Freshman Learning Experience: Incoming IU freshmen arrive eight weeks prior to the beginning of their first semesters to begin work in an appropriate lab. The freshmen also participate in a student-driven seminar/lab course during their first year.

• Inquiry-based Curriculum Enhancement: Undergraduates are assigned interesting research questions and given guidance by graduate students. Graduate students gain teaching experience while undergraduates acquire critical thinking skills.

• Capstone: So named because only students near the end of their undergraduate studies are eligible, this program enables 230 students each year to receive research funding for projects in one of the three specified scientific fields.

Awards ranging from $1.2 million to $2.2 million were given this year to 43 other colleges and universities. IU was one of only seven institutions to receive the maximum amount. Lynda Delph, associate chair for teaching at the Department of Biology, is program director. Other IU faculty assisting her in implementing the programs are chemist Andrew Feig, chemist Evelyn Jabri, neural scientist George Rebec, biologist Michael Wade, biologist George Malacinski, biologist J. Jose Bonner and education professor William Harwood.