2008 Woodie Awards
Cañada $900k grant for engineering students
Technology program receives money for under-represented minorities, women enrolled in lower-division classes
student editor
Issue date: 9/22/08 Section: News
Cañada college received a $900,000 grant to help women and under-represented minority students succeed in math, science, technology and engineering programs.
Cañada received news of the grant three weeks ago, Janet Stringer, Cañada College dean of science and technology said, and will be able to use the money starting Oct. 1. The money will be used to assist under-represented minorities and women succeed in science, math, and engineering, but will particularly focus on engineering.
Stephanie Babyak, from the U.S. Department of Education, said that the department's policy is not to comment on why a particular school was selected, other than to say it "competed successfully against other applicants."
The award type is "discretionary," and is for "Minority Science Improvement," Babyak said.
The college has five goals for the grant money, said Stringer. It will be used to fund an intensive math summer program at Cañada, and pay for Cañada students to attend San Francisco State University's two week residential engineering program. It would also pay for additional counseling and mentoring for students, provide workshops and tutoring, and create informal learning communities at Cañada.
There is already a similar program in place, Stringer said, called Math, Engineering, and Science Achievements, but it only assists students who are taking transfer-level classes. Cañada's grant money would help students who haven't started transferable courses yet.
Stringer said that a Cañada study showed that once the college's students made it to transfer level technology classes they did well, but needed additional help making it to that level.
The grant ends on Sept. 30, 2011, Babyak said.
The college is hoping to enroll the first students in the program in the upcoming summer semester, Stringer added.
Cañada received news of the grant three weeks ago, Janet Stringer, Cañada College dean of science and technology said, and will be able to use the money starting Oct. 1. The money will be used to assist under-represented minorities and women succeed in science, math, and engineering, but will particularly focus on engineering.
Stephanie Babyak, from the U.S. Department of Education, said that the department's policy is not to comment on why a particular school was selected, other than to say it "competed successfully against other applicants."
The award type is "discretionary," and is for "Minority Science Improvement," Babyak said.
The college has five goals for the grant money, said Stringer. It will be used to fund an intensive math summer program at Cañada, and pay for Cañada students to attend San Francisco State University's two week residential engineering program. It would also pay for additional counseling and mentoring for students, provide workshops and tutoring, and create informal learning communities at Cañada.
There is already a similar program in place, Stringer said, called Math, Engineering, and Science Achievements, but it only assists students who are taking transfer-level classes. Cañada's grant money would help students who haven't started transferable courses yet.
Stringer said that a Cañada study showed that once the college's students made it to transfer level technology classes they did well, but needed additional help making it to that level.
The grant ends on Sept. 30, 2011, Babyak said.
The college is hoping to enroll the first students in the program in the upcoming summer semester, Stringer added.
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