NIH Funds 10 Science Education Partnership Awards
More than $9 million dollars will be used to engage students
and the public in health sciences
Promoting science careers in rural and underserved populations;
using interactive museum exhibits to explain the genetic factors
of health; and disseminating an HIV/AIDS documentary by inner-city
high school students are just some of the new ways the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) is increasing the public's understanding
of biomedical research.
Today, NIH announced it has provided over $9 million to fund 10
Science Education Partnership Awards (SEPA). Led by the National
Center for Research Resources (NCRR) — a part of the NIH — SEPA
grants provide two to five years of support to stimulate curiosity
and encourage scientific investigation through hands-on activities.
By supporting interactions between scientists, educators, and community
organizations, the SEPA program helps improve public understanding
of NIH-funded medical research and encourages the participation
of young people in science careers.
"These collaborations exemplify the goals of the SEPA program — inquiry-based
learning, innovative teaching techniques, and community participation," said
NCRR Director Barbara M. Alving, M.D. "Using peer mentoring,
hands-on science experiences, and innovative web-based instruction
thousands of students, teachers, and members of the public will
gain a greater understanding of biomedical research."
This round of 10 new awards brings the SEPA portfolio to 62 active
grants and continues to encourage the next generation of health
professionals while increasing the public's understanding of health
issues.
Science Education Partnership Awards were presented to:
Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
$539,789
Health and Biomedical Science for a Diverse Community
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
$372,626
Nationwide Dissemination of Inside Cancer, a SEPA-Funded Internet
Site for Teachers
Diversity Films, Inc.(Stamford, Conn.)
$539,280
Serial Passage: AIDS, Race, and Culture
Miami University Oxford (Oxford, Ohio)
$535,512
HealthRICH: Health Risks, Information, and Choices
Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
$1,255,432
A Starfish Can Grow a New Arm, Why Can't I?
San Francisco State University (San Francisco, Calif.)
$1,334,561
Spectrum: Building Pathways to Biomedical Research Careers for
Girls and Women of Color
Texas A&M University System (College Station, Texas)
$1,351,569
Science Promotion in Rural Middle Schools
University of Nebraska Lincoln (Lincoln, Neb.)
$1,286,811
World of Viruses
Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tenn.)
$788,848
School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (Silver Spring, Md.)
$ 1,338,078
Going to Middle and Early High School Classes with Near-Peer Mentors
Full description of projects is available at http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/sepa_awards/20071113.asp.
For more information about SEPA, visit http://www.ncrrsepa.org/.
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) provides laboratory
scientists and clinical researchers with the environments and tools
they need to understand, detect, treat, and prevent a wide range
of diseases. With this support, scientists make biomedical discoveries,
translate these findings to animal-based studies, and then apply
them to patient-oriented research. Ultimately, these advances result
in cures and treatments for both common and rare diseases. NCRR
also connects researchers with one another, and with patients and
communities across the nation. These connections bring together
innovative research teams and the power of shared resources, multiplying
the opportunities to improve human health. For more information,
visit www.ncrr.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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