NSF awards $1.5 million to TWU team to boost STEM activities

From left: Drs. Juliet Spencer, Diana Elrod, Stephanie Pierce and Jessica Gullion.

August 30, 2021 — DENTON — This summer, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $1.5 million grant to a team of Texas Woman’s faculty members to fund a project aimed at boosting enrollment in graduate biotechnology programs and promoting career success in the biotechnology sector. The team, made up of Drs. Juliet Spencer, Diana Elrod, Stephanie Pierce and Jessica Gullion, is launching TWU-SCALE, or Scholarships and Co-curricular Activities Leading to Excellence in the Biotechnology workforce. In addition to graduate scholarships, students in the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) in Biotechnology Program will receive leadership training and career guidance.

Since 2019, the NSF has awarded $4.9 million to three TWU projects promoting engagement, retention and graduation in STEM disciplines.

About the PSM in Biotechnology Program

The PSM program launched in 2020 as part of the Innovative Academic Programs Initiative. The program’s first cohort completed their industry internships this year, and its first four students graduated this summer. Of the four graduates, two are now working full-time at their internship site (NeoGenomics) and two have entered PhD programs. Of the students who completed internships this summer but have not yet graduated, several were also offered full-time positions, one at AIT Labs and the other at ACRC Trials.

Related stories

• Texas Woman’s STEM project awarded $2.5 million grant (2020)
• Texas Woman’s STEM project awarded $1 million grant (2019)

Page last updated 8:23 AM, April 21, 2023