Administration
Office Macon Cove
Campus Union Avenue Campus
Fayette Center Gill Center Millington Center Southeast Center Whitehaven Center |
901/333-STCC * www.southwest.tn.edu DATE:
August 7, 2000 CONTACT: Calvin Burns, 901/333-5338 or Stephanie Richards, 901/333-4368 NIH Awards
$350,000 Grant to STCC's Natural Science Department;
Initiative Targets Minority Students The National Institutes of
Health (NIH) has awarded a two-year grant for $350,000 to the Natural
Science Department at Southwest Tennessee Community College. In announcing
the grant, NIH officials noted that STCC has an option for an additional
year of funding for $180,000. The funding is for the Bridge to the
Biomedical Sciences Program. Southwest Tennessee is the managing
institution of
the grant. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, The
University of Memphis and LeMoyne-Owen College are also participating in
the project. Established in the early
1900s, NIH has a stated mission of improving the quality of life for all
Americans through biomedical research. The highly-regarded agency is
headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.
STCC's Bridge Program is
housed at the Union Avenue Campus. The
primary objective of the initiative is to increase the number of minority
students This innovative project
places qualified minority students in a faculty mentored program
where they are exposed to
biomedical research experiences. Since its inception in 1995, more than 25
students at the Union Avenue Campus have completed the program and
transferred to The University of Memphis to earn a Bachelor of Science
degree. Saeid Baki, department head
for Natural Science at STCC, also serves as principal investigator for the
Bridge to the Biomedical Sciences Program. He credits a team effort by
dedicated faculty for being
largely responsible for NIH awarding the grant to his department. "Our team members are
doing a tremendous job with this program," Baki said. "And our
students must be commended for their outstanding achievements. The
dedication that they exhibit to pursue educational goals is an inspiration
to all of us." Dr. Indiren Pillay, assistant
professor of Natural Science,
serves as co-director of the
project. Dr. Sam Chang, professor of
Physical Science, is the faculty mentor. Louis Moses, associate
professor of Natural Science, serves as the orientation coordinator, and
associate professor Kathy Germain is the student coordinator. For more information about the
Bridge to the Biomedical Sciences Program, call Southwest Tennessee
Community College at (901)
333-5220. Southwest Tennessee Community College is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution. |
