Howard Hughes Medical Institute
"The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a medical research organization dedicated to biomedical research and education. Its principal objectives are the advancement of fundamental knowledge in the biomedical sciences and the application of that knowledge to alleviate disease and promote health.
Through its grants and special programs, HHMI seeks to strengthen science education and biomedical research by supporting current and future leaders to advance scientific knowledge, develop educations products, and implement outstanding educational practices."
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University was founded in 1888 and became the land-grant university of New Mexico in 1890. Today, NMSU has a student body that is highly diverse and is considered a Minority-Serving Institution. NMSU is also a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). This culturally rich university is committed to serving the educational needs of it's students. The educational mission of NMSU is first and foremost to provide quality education. As part of this mission, virtually all science faculty welcome undergraduates into their laboratories. A variety of externally supported programs help provide funding for undergraduate research. One such program is supported by Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Introduction to the Programs
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is enabling New Mexico State University to expand research opportunities for undergraduate science majors, restructure introductory biology courses and develop new outreach programs to public schools in New Mexico designed to improve science teaching.
The Undergraduate Research Scholars Program is intended to serve as a training ground for the next generation of biological and medical researchers in the United States. It combines hands-on laboratory experience with seminars and coursework designed to create a community of undergraduate research scholars.
HHMI is also supporting the transformation of introductory biology courses, BIOL 111 and BIOL 211, into team-taught courses that emphasize core concepts, writing and the development of critical thinking skills. The new instructional team consists of a faculty member, one graduate student, and HHMI-NMSU Undergraduate Peer Leaders. Peer Leaders lead Workshop meetings and facilitate activities, including discussion of classic papers, writing exercises and working through mathematics modules, that reinforce concepts presented in lecture.
Outreach programs include a Masters of Art in Teaching Science for New Mexico science teachers, a series of two day refresher courses for New Mexico Science teachers offered during the summer, and a portable molecular biology laboratory that visits New Mexico high schools during the academic year.