Hofstra Receives Joint $5 Million NSF Grant for STEM Program Expansion

Investing In Our Future

Hofstra University released an announcement on July 11 that they, along with Nassau Community College (NCC), received a joint grant of $5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF). As discussed in their announcement, this grant will help Hofstra and NCC develop a program that provides mentorships, research opportunities, and scholarships for STEM students that work hard to excel in class, but come from lower income areas. Communities specifically targeted are those in Freeport, Hempstead, Roosevelt, and Uniondale. Over the next six years, 90 students from these areas will start their college careers at NCC with the help of two-year scholarships, as well as stipends to work in NCC labs before school begins. Afterwards, they will be granted $10,000 per year to continue their education at Hofstra.

Are These Programs Effective?

Hofstra’s announcement also states that this grant will support the Integrated Achievement & Mentoring Program (iAM) for Student Success. This Hofstra program allows students who performed well in high school but struggle in a college environment to get access to tutoring, advising, and career counseling. Students involved in this program graduated with higher GPAs than they achieved in their first few semesters at Hofstra, and most had multiple offers from jobs and graduate schools, a sign that they are prepared to excel in their post-graduate lives. It is projected that this new NSF grant will help three times as many students to join the iAM program, resulting in an even higher number of well-qualified STEM graduates ready to share their talents.

How Walden Helps

Walden is proud to support Hofstra’s many STEM-related academic programs. Joe Heaney, the Founder and President of Walden, is on the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science Advisory Board and has helped mentor many young engineers as they prepare for their careers. Additionally, many of Walden’s women engineers and scientists participate in Hofstra’s Women’s Summer Program in Computer/Engineering (W-SPiCE), in which they discuss their career paths, challenges faced, roles at Walden, and the potential job opportunities their fields have to offer.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in engineering, Walden is currently hiring! Feel free to contact us at 516-758-1273 or go to our company’s website at https://waldenenvironmentalengineering.com/ to see what we can offer you.