KCC Receives $500,000 NSF Grant
Dr. Laura Spinu, an associate professor of speech science, and Dr. Loretta Brancaccio-Taras, a biology professor
KCC Receives $500,000 NSF Grant to Boost Student STEM Research
A new initiative at Kingsborough Community College (KCC), funded by a prestigious $500,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), aims to boost science literacy at KCC by engaging students in hands-on research experiences and exposing them to scientific skills and potential career paths they may not have previously considered. The grant is part of the NSF's Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education program, created to accelerate the impact of evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges. It is one of 35 inaugural grants that were awarded nationwide.
Led by Dr. Laura Spinu, an associate professor of speech science, and Dr. Loretta Brancaccio-Taras, a biology professor and director of the Kingsborough Center for e-Learning, the initiative will focus on providing authentic data-centric research opportunities for students in traditional and nontraditional STEM fields.
Titled “A Unified Approach to Establishing a Culture of Research: Employing a Toolkit of Common Tools and Processes,” the project will create a unified campus-wide approach to undergraduate research using a discipline-neutral program management template for integrating research projects into courses, also known as CUREs (course-based undergraduate research experiences). It will run from October 2024 through September 2027.
The project has three main components: redesigning courses to include research projects; implementing these course-based undergraduate research experiences during 12-week semesters; and creating one-on-one faculty-mentored research opportunities outside the classroom. The goal is to transform 60 courses, potentially impacting more than 1,500 students over the three years.
The initiative builds on the success of K-CORE (Kingsborough Collaborative Research Bootcamp), an ongoing campus-wide undergraduate research program launched by Spinu in 2019 that offers interested KCC students from all majors the opportunity to participate in mentorship, specialized training, and collaborative STEM research projects.
Learn more about the new initiative.
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