For Immediate Release
October 8, 2008

Cañada College Receives $1.5 Million U.S. Department of Education Grant to Help Underrepresented Students With Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering

This is the second major federal grant received by the college in the last two months to help improve the performance of students in science, technology, math and engineering

Cañada College has received a two-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help shorten the time students need to enroll in transferable level science classes.

This is the second major grant received by the college in the last two months. Cañada recently received a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to improve the interest, persistence and performance of underrepresented students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The latest grant will provide Cañada with $765,000  for 2008-09 and $761,000 for 2009-10. The college will use the money to develop an intensive six-week summer program in math instruction designed to raise math placement levels for students pursuing science majors. Then, during the school year, a math lab will be made available to students featuring self-paced, accelerated math instruction, faculty-guided instruction, instructional aides, and tutors available for extended hours. Curriculum will also be developed to incorporate hands-on scientific experiments linked to math training so that students see the applications of mathematical concepts and use real-life examples while learning math.

Students will be introduced to career pathways and options to help sustain their interest in science and technology fields while participating in the accelerated math programs.

“We have a large number of students who enter the college wanting to pursue a science-related career but they lack the basic math skills needed to succeed in college-level science classes,” said Janet Stringer, Dean of the Science and Technology Division at the college.  “This project is designed to support students transferring to four-year institutions to pursue science, technology, engineering and math degrees.”

Cañada College President Tom Mohr said the latest grants provide strong support for students pursuing academic and career goals in the sciences but added the college is simply building on its reputation as a destination for students interested in these fields and the related field of allied health. “This is the fourth grant the college has received in the last year designed to help students with math, science and health-related fields,” he said.

Last spring, the college received a three-year grant worth $270,000 per year from the National Science Foundation to create “Chemistry: A Pipeline to 21st Century Careers.” This project will increase the recruitment, retention and academic success of students enrolled in chemistry classes, particularly minority students. It will strengthen the ties between the college and local high schools by providing opportunities to engage and motivate students to pursue careers in chemically related scientific fields. The college is working with Gene Connection of the San Mateo County Office of Education to administer the grant.

At the same time, the college also secured a $250,000 grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to build career pathways for high school students interested in allied health careers such as certified nursing assistant, phlebotomist and x-ray assistant. Students can also begin to fulfill academic requirements for medical assisting, emergency medical technician, pharmacy technician, radiological, surgical, and respiratory technologist, and nursing programs that are offered in the San Mateo County Community College District.

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