NSF awards $ 1.5 million to TWU team to boost STEM activities – News & Events

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From left to right: Drs. Juliet Spencer, Diana Elrod, Stéphanie 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 faculty members to fund a project to increase enrollment in graduate biotechnology programs and to promote professional success in the biotechnology sector. The team, made up of Drs. Juliet Spencer, Diana Elrod, Stephanie Pierce and Jessica Gullion are launching TWU-SCALE, or Scholarships and Extracurricular Activities Leading to Excellence in the Biotechnology Workforce. In addition to graduate scholarships, students of the Master of Professional Science (PSM) Program in Biotechnology will receive leadership training and career counseling.

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

About PSM program in biotechnology

The PSM program was 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 doctoral programs. Among the students who completed internships this summer but have not yet graduated, several have also been offered full-time positions, one at AIT Labs and the other at ACRC Trials.