Irvine : Grant Will Provide Computers at College

Irvine Valley College has received a $40,131 grant from the National Science Foundation that will be used to buy 23 computer workstations specially designed for social science students.

The computers will allow students to quickly access a variety of statistical data bases, reports and surveys while gaining hands-on experience working with scientific data.

“Most of our computers are used in traditional ways in business or for desktop publishing,” said George McCrory, spokesman for the college. “This allows us to put computers to work in social science studies.”

The college’s grant proposal was one of 2,209 received by the National Science Foundation, which funded 600 projects.

Along with the computers, officials plan to buy software that will let students simulate research projects and test their theories against statistical data. They plan to develop a laboratory manual for the program and hope the computer system will become a model for community colleges around the state.

This is the first time the foundation has provided grant money to the college. McCrory said it is rare for a community college to receive such a grant, noting that the foundation usually chooses to fund four-year schools.