Южная Каролина получила 10 млн долларов от NSF для развития науки и инженерии

SC State joins $10 million NSF initiative to strengthen STEM research, workforce pathways The university is among 11 South Carolina institutions participating in the statewide SC-CAPS initiative. ORANGEBURG, S.C. — South Carolina State University will help expand research opportunities and strengthen pathways to STEM careers as part of a new $10 million initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. SC State is one of 11 colleges and universities participating in the South Carolina Collaborative Academic Pathways in STEM, or SC-CAPS, a statewide initiative designed to build research capacity and STEM workforce pathways at South Carolina's primarily undergraduate institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. SC State will receive nearly $600,000 over the four-year grant period to support its role in the initiative. People are also reading… Dr. Brian Riley, director of SC State's Center for Energy and Environmental Solutions (CEES), said the initiative will provide new opportunities to advance the university's research and workforce development efforts in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Transportation (STEM-T). "This is an outstanding accomplishment and represents an important opportunity to expand our CEES enterprise, strengthen research collaborations, enhance student research and workforce development, as well as further elevate the visibility and impact of SC State and the College of STEM-T," said Riley, who serves as SC State's co-principal investigator for the grant. The National Science Foundation's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research awarded the $10 million grant to the South Carolina Research Authority. Dr. Nadim Aziz, South Carolina EPSCoR director, will serve as principal investigator and project director. "The SC-CAPS grant represents the culmination of several months of collaborative work across the state," Aziz said. "Thanks to this $10 million NSF EPSCoR investment, we will build a collaborative network among these institutions to strengthen South Carolina's research capacity and STEM workforce pathways, and build a sustainable future in both areas." Along with SC State, the SC-CAPS network includes Anderson University, Coastal Carolina University, Coker University, College of Charleston, Furman University, Lander University, Presbyterian College, University of South Carolina Upstate, Voorhees University and Winthrop University. Expanding opportunities for SC State students and faculty Through SC-CAPS, SC State students and faculty will be part of a statewide network focused on experiential learning, student success, faculty development and institutional research growth. "Given the changing landscape and current challenges of being awarded research funding from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, we are both very appreciative and fortunate," Riley said. "Of course, our CEES Team has College of STEM-T students integrated for participatory research and to gain practical experiences." The initiative consists of three interconnected core programs: - Experiential Learning Core — Engages high school, transfer and undergraduate students across all 11 campuses to build research skills, expand institutional research capacity and broaden participation in STEM. - Building STEM Pathways Core — Focuses on retention, on-time graduation and career readiness through strategies including articulation agreements, high school bridge programs, enhanced advising and peer mentoring. - Faculty and Institutional Growth Core — Supports faculty development through institutional commitments and programmatic initiatives designed to strengthen research competitiveness and secure long-term sustainability. SC-CAPS also will provide additional capacity-building opportunities to primarily undergraduate institutions and HBCUs throughout South Carolina. Those opportunities include competitive seed funding for equipment, a proposal-writing academy centered on multi-institutional faculty collaboration, statewide best-practice workshops and research experiences for students. "SC-CAPS is a direct investment in the goals outlined in South Carolina's Science and Technology Plan, particularly around growing research capacity at our PUIs and HBCUs and building a stronger, more sustainable STEM workforce pathway for the state," said Tim Stemmler, chair of the South Carolina EPSCoR State Committee and vice president for research at the Medical University of South Carolina. "This kind of statewide collaboration is exactly how we move the plan's priorities from strategy into action. We all benefit from leaders like Dr. Nadim Aziz, who promote collaborative initiatives that enable the entire state; we are truly stronger and more powerful when we work together."