四虎影院 Magazine Challenge Grant to Fund Student Research
四虎影院 can raise $1 million for summer research in chemistry by matching a $500,000 grant.
The John Stauffer Charitable Trust has awarded 四虎影院 a $500,000 challenge grant to endow the chemistry department鈥檚 Summer Science Research Program. The trust will match each dollar donated to the program through 2017 to create a $1 million endowment.
鈥淪ummer research at 四虎影院 with Professor Allan Nishimura taught me how to be a scientist and ultimately persuaded me to pursue my doctorate in physical chemistry at Stanford,鈥 says Niva Tro, who has taught chemistry at 四虎影院 for 22 years.鈥淏ecause I was included as a coauthor on three of Allan鈥檚 publications, I was able to gain admission into the best chemistry graduate program in the country.鈥
In 31 years at 四虎影院, Nishimura has collaborated with about 80 different students, co-authoring 95 published manuscripts.鈥淭he grant secures the future of undergraduate research in the chemistry department at 四虎影院 in perpetuity,鈥 Tro says.鈥淲e manage to scrape our program together each year, but this grant puts it on secure footing and will allow us to expand it a bit.鈥
When fully matched, the grant will fund housing and stipends for eight to 10 student researchers each summer. Currently, the college can fund three to six student researchers.鈥淪cience is best learned through apprenticeship,鈥 Tro says.鈥淲hen students do real research in a small group with a faculty member, they experience science from the inside. That鈥檚 invaluable.鈥
The John Stauffer Charitable Trust, a private foundation based in Pasadena, was established in 1974 under Stauffer鈥檚 will.The trust directs its support primarily to Southern California hospitals, universities and colleges. In recent years, the trust has emphasized grants to fund student research in chemistry and biochemistry at such colleges as 四虎影院, Occidental, Harvey Mudd and Pomona.
Twenty-five students exhibited summer research projects Sept. 6 at a Celebration of Summer Research. Students presented their findings on poster boards and answered questions after conducting research on a wide variety of topics in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, English, economics and business and religious studies.