$4.6 million grant awarded to three higher institutions

Posted on November 8, 2018
Illinois State University President Larry Dietz discusses a $4.6 million grant from The National Science Foundation. (Photo Courtesy Illinois Wesleyan IWU.edu)

 

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – The National Science Foundation has awarded $4.6 million to Illinois Wesleyan University, Illinois State University and Heartland Community College to help spur scholarships and community research projects.

The funding will go toward a project called NexSTEM, “A Community Assets Program that Fosters the Next Generation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Leaders.”

The program will work with IWU, ISU and Heartland to increase the recruitment of STEM scholars. It also looks to help those students who are financially unsound but are interested or want to pursue a STEM career.

Over the five-year granting period, the three schools will disburse nearly $2.8 million in scholarships and receive more than $1.8 million to involve the NexSTEM scholars in research projects.

Around 70 four-year scholarships will be offered, with between 20 and 25 scholarships awarded to students at each of the three schools.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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