Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Grant
In May 2004, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) awarded a $900,000 grant to the University of Richmond to foster undergraduate science education. Capitalizing on a $35 million expansion and renovation of the Gottwald Science Center, the HHMI grant allowed the School of Arts & Sciences to expand the science curriculum through new courses, bolster the faculty through new hires and opportunities to team teach, and advance student understanding through summer research fellowships and innovative programming.
Supporting student research
The grant has resulted in two different kinds of financial awards going to support undergraduate research programs in the sciences. Undergraduate research fellowships support students who choose to spend their summers working with a faculty member on an interdisciplinary project. Research internships bring pre-freshmen to campus to research with faculty during the summer between high school and their first year at the University of Richmond.
Programs
With the help of the HHMI grant, the School of Arts & Sciences has begun offering a number of new programs that introduce students to science research and careers.
Research Introductions is a program that pairs professors in a variety of science disciplines to give short talks on their research, its relevance and how undergraduates can have an impact on research in the field. Check out the current series schedule.
Connect with Your Future is an annual program that introduces science students to careers in fields they may not previously have considered—like public health, patent law and intellectual property, education, journalism, public policy, and academic and pharmaceutical research. Read more about the 2008 event.
The New Collaborations Seminar invites visiting lecturers, chosen by an HHMI undergraduate research fellow and his or her mentor, to campus to give lectures on a range of science topics, often finding common ground between the science disciplines.
The HHMI Research Symposium showcases the research conducted by the previous summer’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute research fellows. Poster sessions in the afternoon are followed by student talks and a dinner that features a prominent keynote speaker. All HHMI students participate in the program, and other students who researched in the sciences are invited to present their findings as well.
Course Development
Scientific Calculus Fall Syllabus | Spring Syllabus
This two-semester sequence will focus on integrating calculus and the life sciences through the use of examples and problems from the introductory biology and chemistry courses. Designed for science students that typically have taken high school calculus, this course will include integration and differential equations, linear algebra, and multivariate calculus, all with an emphasis on modeling in the life sciences. First offered Fall 2005. For more information contact Lester Caudill.
Introduction to Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics
This course will serve as an early introduction to work at the interface of molecular biology and computer science. Course topics may include how genome sequences are obtained and analyzed to answer questions about evolution, gene structure and function, protein sequences, molecular interactions, and networks. First offered Fall 2005. For more information contact Joe Gindhart.
Physics for the Life Sciences
Physics and biology faculty will collaborate on the development of a second-semester physics course that focuses on life science applications of magnetism, electricity, and light. For example, students studying magnetism, optics, and radioactivity will gain insight into mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, and NMR instrumentation. First offered Spring 2006. For more information contact Mirela Fetea.
Mathematical Modeling in the Life Sciences Syllabus | Epidemiology Class Example
Team-taught by a biologist and a mathematician, this course will provide students with the quantitative skills to understand and assess the use of models. The course will emphasize the applicability of quantitative approaches to interdisciplinary research problems in medicine, ecology, and other life sciences. First offered Fall 2006. For more information contact Lester Caudill.
Biological Imaging Syllabus | Schedule | Equipment List
Taking advantage of the new instrumentation in the electron microscopy suite, this course will introduce students to computer-assisted microscopy as it applies to biological structure. Faculty from physics, biology, and computer science will collaborate to provide students with an advanced course in sophisticated imaging techniques. First offered Spring 2007. For more information contact Gary Radice.