St. Norbert College receives two National Science Foundation grants

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A student works inside the Gehl-Mulva Science Center at St. Norbert College. A student works inside the Gehl-Mulva Science Center at St. Norbert College.
A student works inside the Gehl-Mulva Science Center at St. Norbert College.

The National Science Foundation has awarded St. Norbert College a $998,759 grant for the project entitled “Communitybuilding, Mentoring, and Research Experiences to Develop Undergraduate STEM Majors’ Scientific Identities and Preparation for STEM Careers.”

This project will help address the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated need. Over its five-year duration, this project will fund four years of scholarships to 18 students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in any of the STEM fields of biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, geology, mathematics, and physics.

“We are all very excited to receive this National Science Foundation grant,” said Dr. Anindo Choudhury, professor of biology and environmental science at St. Norbert College. “This nearly $1million grant is one of the largest single grants the college has ever received.”

“This grant is doubly gratifying because it resonates deeply with the mission of our institution as a Norbertine, Catholic liberal arts college,” added Dr. Choudhury.

Also, Dr. Nicholas Mauro, assistant professor of physics at St. Norbert College, and his collaborator, Dr. Kenneth F. Kelton, Arthur Holly Compton Professor of Physics in Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, have been awarded a National Science Foundation grant for approximately $510,000. Roughly 50 percent of the grant will fund research and research students at St. Norbert College.

The grant will support collaborative experimental, theoretical, and computational research focused on understanding the connections between atomic motions and phase transformations in metallic systems with the ultimate goal of developing new and exotic materials for specific applications. This research will be supported for three years, beginning in the 2019-2020 academic year. Undergraduate and graduate students at St. Norbert College and Washington University will play key roles in projects.