Collins, King Announce National Science Foundation Grants for UMaine and Bates Totaling More than $400,000
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) is awarding a total of $427,309 in grant funding to the University of Maine and Bates College. The University of Maine will receive a $299,451 grant as part of an NSF initiative to promote the development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent in populations that have traditionally been underserved or underrepresented in the STEM fields. Bates College will receive a $127,858 grant to support eyewitness identification research.
“Institutions across Maine help inspire and prepare students to become the next generation of leaders in their respective fields,” Senators Collins and King said in joint statement. “By supporting research efforts at the University of Maine and Bates College, these National Science Foundation grants will empower students and researchers working to promote STEM education and to examine trends in our criminal justice system.”
The University of Maine is one of 37 institutions nationwide to receive the first-ever awards through the NSF INCLUDES program (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science). The program aims to improve access to STEM education and STEM career pathways across the country. The funding will support a two-year pilot project at UMaine building on its Stormwater Management Research Team (SMART) that works to create a diverse STEM pathway through community water research.
The funding for Bates College will support a study examining the brief social interactions that affect eyewitness decisions in an effort to reduce identification errors in the criminal justice system. A summary of the project can be found HERE.
The NSF supports research, innovation, and discovery in order to provide a foundation for economic growth in America. Founded in 1950 by an act of Congress, the NSF is an independent federal agency that works to advance the frontiers of science and engineering so that our nation can develop the knowledge and cutting edge technologies needed to address current and future challenges.
