HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, in Huntsville, has been awarded an Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) grant from the National Science Foundation, which will provide STEM education for local middle and high school students for the next three years. The grant is for up to $1 million for up to three years.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our education program to bring life-changing STEM education to students across Huntsville and Madison County in an innovative way,” said Kelly East, vice president of educational outreach at HudsonAlpha.
The award will fund two experiential learning programs in genomics and biotechnology. It will continue funding for the existing Launching Aspiring Biotechnology Students program, a year-long program for high school students. The grant also will be used to provide more participant support, reducing barriers to participation among underrepresented students.
The award also will fund a new SPARK program for middle school students, with similar goals of building biotech skills, scientific content and STEM confidence. SPARK will engage groups of 7th and 8th grade students in a month-long after school club. Over the next three years, SPARK will be implemented in eight schools in Huntsville City Schools and Madison County Schools.
“We are so excited to kick off this new program that is structured in a way that really pushes the boundaries of student STEM experiences at middle school level,” East said. “A key part of this program is to let students do authentic experiments that help research happening in real time at HudsonAlpha. These students will become true student scientists in collaboration with HudsonAlpha research scientists.”
This is the second ExLENT award presented to HudsonAlpha. This award is in the explorations tract of the NSF program. Last year’s ExLENT award was in the beginnings track, which helped develop the Biotech Launch program, which engages five cohorts of 10 trainees who are pursuing an associate degree or stackable certificate. These trainees helped develop students’ professional, personal and academic skills in an applied learning environment by creating partnerships between students and mentors, college faculty and the scientific community. Trainees attended classes on the campus of HudsonAlpha, took the Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing Exam, earned class credit for the program and then were placed in a paid internship in a partnering biotechnology company on the HudsonAlpha campus.
