West Virginia Executive Fall 2018 | Page 63

Ph.D. and M.S. degree programs,” says Dr. Uma Sundaram,
vice dean of research and graduate education at Marshall.
The STEM Fellows Program has supported Marshall in
developing new areas of concentration in the Ph.D. program,
including obesity-related diseases relevant to health care dispar-
ities throughout the region. The grant also fosters educational
collaboration between the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
and the Marshall University College of Science, providing
support for graduate students in both schools.
SURE Grant Program
Because education does not have to halt during the summer
months, SURE grants help colleges and universities offer summer
research experiences to undergraduates in STEM fields with
small research stipends.
“The summer research experience we provide at West
Liberty University (WLU) extends beyond the laboratory and
the field,” says Dr. Joseph Horzempa, WLU associate professor
of biology. “In addition to mentoring our students’ scientific
investigations, we also provide them with career development
workshops, team-building exercises and interactive networking
events to promote a community of learning.”
According to Dr. Joanna Webb, assistant professor of
chemistry at West Virginia Wesleyan College, the SURE
grant is vitally important for undergraduate students keen
on science.
“It exposes them to a research environment they don’t expe-
rience in their semester laboratory courses,” she says. “In ad-
dition, students earn a stipend for performing research rather
West Liberty student Jennifer Myers
preparing bacterial growth media.
Photo by West Liberty University.
than having to find another summer job. In our experience,
students often fall in love with research and decide to pursue
a graduate degree in their respective fields—exactly the goal
of our program.”
The funding has also impacted professors by allowing them
more time for in-depth research interactions with students.
“The grant allows our faculty to further their research projects
while getting one-on-one time with talented undergraduates,”
says Webb. “Our program gets better each year as students
spread the word of their positive experiences.”
Innovation and Instrumentation Grants Programs
Bright ideas need proper tools, and Innovation Grants offer
funding for improvements in scientific equipment, curriculum,
Congratulations to Linsly alum, Walker Holloway, Class of 2007, on being a WVE Young Gun.
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