Elms College Receives $1.5 Million Grant from National Science Foundation

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced that it has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Through the six-year grant, “Growing STEM Student Success Through Scholarship and Community Building with Experiential Learning and Data Science,” Elms College will provide need-based scholarships to at least 40 high-achieving first-year and community-college transfer students who want to pursue careers in science, technology, and mathematics. The scholarship amount will be up to $10,000 per year.

“Elms College is excited to receive this grant because it will provide a pathway for Elms College STEM majors to be well-positioned to start careers in these growing STEM fields,” said Joyce Hampton, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. According to a state report issued last October, STEM jobs will account for 40% of job growth in Massachusetts through 2028.

“The main goal of the grant from the NSF’s S-STEM (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program is to increase enrollment of students with financial need who are interested in biology, biotechnology, chemistry, computer science, computer information technology and security, and mathematics,” said Beryl Hoffman, professor of Computer Science at Elms and principal investigator on the project.

Scholarships will be available to community-college transfer students in the spring 2023 semester and to first-year Elms students beginning in the fall 2023 semester.

In addition to scholarship funding, all STEM scholars will be provided community-engaged experiential learning activities and opportunities to build data-science skills in each year of their studies, culminating in an internship or research experience.

“A terrific aspect of this project is that it will also augment the collaboration we already have with area community colleges,” said Nina Theis, professor of Biology and co-principal investigator on the project.

For more information on the S-STEM scholarships at Elms and eligibility requirements, visit www.elms.edu/academics/nsmt/elmsstem.