April 18, 2012 - The University of Texas at El Paso has been awarded a $578,162 grant by the National Science Foundation to fund the Student Mentoring to Achieve Retention: Triads in Science (SMARTS) program. The grant will support the program’s focus to improve the retention of undergraduate students in their majors by providing increased access to educational and research training activities within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
“The goal is to enhance the research experience of undergraduates, and allow graduate students to mentor and train other students,” said Renato Aguilera, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences and principle investigator of the grant along with Lourdes Echegoyen, director of the College Office of Undergraduate Research Initiatives (COURI) in the College of Science. “Our proposed project lies at the heart of UTEP’s mission to provide access and excellence.”
The SMARTS Program will provide funding and resources for project teams consisting of a faculty member, a graduate student and an undergraduate student from the College of Science who will engage in STEM-related research.