Prairie View A&M University biology professor Gloria Regisford and her four co-principal investigators have secured $1 million in scholarships through a grant awarded by the National Science Foundation. According to Prairie View A&M, the scholarship program will focus on academically talented students in biology, chemistry/physics, and math.

Prof. Regisford said she and her team hope that  Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) activities will increase retention, decrease time to graduation, and promote matriculation into a graduate program or employment in the STEM workforce.

“In addition to the scholarship, we’re going to implement a mentoring program. Our science faculty will mentor the S-STEM scholars, in addition to scientists from industry and government, as well as their peers,” she said in a statement.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program supports student development in a variety of STEM fields, including biological sciences,  physical sciences (physics, chemistry, astronomy, and materials science), mathematical sciences, computer and information sciences, engineering, and areas associated with biotechnology, engineering technology, and information technology.

Prairie View A&M’s winning project, “Fostering Student Success and Diversity in STEM by Combining Scholarship Support with Mentoring and Research Engagement,” is expected to bring in their first cohort of S-STEM scholars to the PVAMU campus in 2020. The S-STEM scholarship awards would range from $5,000 to $10,000.