Grinnell College has been selected as one of ten recipients of the National Science Foundation's Awards for the Integration of Research and Education. Grinnell has developed and employed successful mechanisms that foster curiosity to life long learning, and has built a community in which teachers and students define problems and seek solutions together. The institution has implemented a strategy that provides administrative structures, curricular and faculty development support, and physical infrastructure to encourage academic community growth.
The College's efforts to integrate research and education were designed with the following outcomes in mind: increasing student opportunities to do research, integrating research and discovery-based learning experiences in introductory courses, providing modern instrumentation and incorporating new technologies, continuing the College's involvement in national forums devoted to science education reform, and promoting a sense of community in the sciences.
Grinnell College is being awarded $500,000 to advance institutional goals of integrating research and education, document and disseminate information of its exemplary activities, and expand the integration of research and education by conducting outreach activities over the coming three years. The creation of the New Science Project addresses barriers to success that impact students of color, women, and first-generation college students. This activity has grown into a national model for institution-wide reform that centers on developing ways to provide students with curricular choices that best suit particular learning styles, and support systems that enable students to improve their performance in the early years. The success of Grinnell's reform efforts positions the institution to become a model for other liberal arts institutions seeking to reshape science education for all their students.
