For Immediate Release
March 3, 2009

Cañada College Receives Third Major Grant to Help Students Majoring in Science, Math, Engineering and Related Fields

The National Science Foundation Grant provides $600,000 in student scholarships over the next five years and establishes the college as a center for STEM education.

Cañada College has received a five-year, $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund scholarships for students majoring in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and related fields.

This is the third federal grant received by the college in the past six months and establishes Cañada as a center for STEM education. In October, the school received two grants from the U.S. Department of Education. A $1.5 million grant was awarded to improve the performance of STEM majors by providing intensive tutoring and specialized curriculum with a focus on math education and a $900,000 grant was awarded to establish a summer mathematics bridge program and engineering institute. Cañada's Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program continues to be funded through a grant from the California Community College Chancellors Office and supports students working to transfer to a 4-year university.  The MESA program engages students in math and science study groups, field trips to 4-year universities, workshops with industry professionals and provides a place for students to study and make friends with other math, science and engineering majors.

“This grant provides scholarship money to the students we are helping educate with the previous grants,” said Amelito Enriquez, professor of engineering and mathematics at Cañada and principal investigator for the NSF grant.

“Our goal is to become an educational center for mathematics, science, engineering, and technology-related fields,” said Janet Stringer, dean of the Science and Technology Division at the College. Stringer joined the college last march after serving as associate professor of pharmacology and neuroscience at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She has been instrumental in working with faculty to attract federal funding to the college and position it as a regional leader in STEM education.

“Because we serve Silicon Valley – a global center for technological research – it’s imperative that we provide quality educational opportunities for students in math and science,” said Thomas Mohr, president of Cañada College. “In short order, Dr. Stringer and her team have attracted the federal money needed to help turn Cañada College into a center for STEM education.”

The latest grant provides $3,000 to students eligible for trigonometry and then $4,000 annually for students ready for calculus. Each student could receive as much as $15,000 over three years. This includes $4,000 for their first year after transferring to a four-year college or university.

The scholarship is open to current community college students and graduating high school students. Students must be enrolled full-time and must be majoring in a STEM field. Applicants must demonstrate financial need. Current community college students must have a grade point average of 2.7 in math, science and engineering courses and a 2.5 overall GPA. High school students must have a GPA of at least 2.7 in high school math and science courses and must test into trigonometry or a higher math class.

Enriquez said the grant money provides scholarships for 21 students next fall; 37 students in 2010-11; and 41 students in 2011-12 and 2012-13. More information on the scholarship eligibility requirements and application deadline are at http://www.canadacollege.edu/NSFscholar/.

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For more information, contact Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at hoodr@smccd.edu or 306-3340