Institute Gives Campuses a $91-Million Boost for Biology
On many campuses, biology is often the most popular major, drawing brainy teenagers who figure that they’re destined to become doctors.
But many of those premed majors veer off into other fields, as students are seduced from the hard sciences by, say, the pleasures of reading great books or exploring the arts or social sciences.
So along comes the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the nation’s wealthiest philanthropic organization, spreading around $91 million to 58 campuses to make the biological sciences more fun.
California powerhouse institutions grabbed the largest share of the four-year grants, including $2 million apiece to Stanford and Caltech, $1.8 million to UC Davis, $1.6 million to UC Berkeley, $1.4 million each to UCLA and UC San Diego.
Most campuses will use the money to stock their labs with new equipment and offer undergraduates a chance to engage in their own research projects.
The idea: Once they learn the joy of discovery, these young lab rats will remain scientists for life.
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