The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) recently announced that Northwest Indian College (NWIC) of Bellingham, Wash., has been awarded a STEM grant of up to $5 million.
The grant comes through the department's Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (MSIPP) and will be used to support education for future scientists and engineers, an EM news release said.
“The EM MSIPP partnership will provide NWIC students with unique opportunities to receive hands-on education and experience as part of developing a pipeline of qualified individuals to become the future workforce for the Department,” David M. Turk, deputy Energy secretary, said in the release.
Established in 2014 with the goal of maintaining a trained, technically skilled workforce, the MSIPP works with minority serving institutions to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students.
“We were impressed,” William “Ike” White, EM senior advisor, said of NWIC in the release. “It is a diverse student body, ranging from students straight out of high school to returning adult learners of all ages. We want to encourage these students to consider joining us at the Department of Energy.”
Nicole Nelson-Jean, EM associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field operations, has visited a number of schools that are part of the MSIPP.
“Visiting these campuses instantly reminds me of the importance the EM MSIPP holds not only for EM and our need for diverse talent, but also our needs as a nation for the next generation of STEM professionals,” she said in the release.
This is the first time in the partnership program's history that the award has gone to an accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) institution. To date, the MSIPP has provided support to 21 institutions in 13 states.
