The TTU/Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Science Education

TTU/HHMI Program Funding $7.8 million from HHMI  1992, $1.3 million John Burns, PD, Larry Blanton, co-PD  1994, $1 million Larry Blanton, PD, John Burns, co-PD  1998, $2 million Larry Blanton, PD Plus $1 million from TTU matching funds  2002, $2 million Larry Blanton, PI/PD, Roman Taraban, co-PI Plus $1.2 million from TTU matching funds  2006, $1.5 million Michael San Francisco, PI/PD Plus $1.5 million from TTU matching funds Visit or web site at:

TTU/HHMI Noteworthy Statistics  The $7.8 million received by TTU is the most received by any institution in Texas  Texas Tech is the only Texas research institution funded in the 2002 competition (and is the only Texas institution with an active HHMI science education grant)  Only 23 research universities (including TTU) have had continuous HHMI funding  For the HHMI Undergraduate Science Education Programs 2006 Award, 50 universities were awarded  Texas Tech University is the only Texas university to have funding since 1992, for 5 consecutive grants during 14 years Visit or web site at:

TTU/HHMI Program Components Visit or web site at:

TTU/HHMI Student Development Highlights  380 students have engaged in long-term research and education projects (35-50 each year)  Since the first TTU/HHMI grant in 1992, there have been 80 scientific papers published with Scholar authors (24 as senior authors) and 233 abstracts for conference papers. Our students have been competitive applicants for nationally ranked Ph.D., M.D. and M.D./Ph.D. and other programs Visit or web site at:

TTU/HHMI Student Development Highlights  Prior to the TTU/HHMI Program, TTU had one Goldwater Scholar in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering  During the TTU/HHMI years, TTU has had 29 Goldwater Scholars (23 TTU/HHMI Scholars) Visit or web site at:

FSO - Fellow Service Organization In 1997, the TTU/HHMI undergraduate scholars started SSO, where students participate in:  outreach efforts to area schools  Student Research Days where students present a research poster along with other undergraduates from the Honors College, McNair Scholars Program, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Human Sciences and Sigma Xi  Special visiting speaker events like the Haragan Lecture Series  Social events Visit or web site at:

TTU/HHMI K-12 Science Education Highlights  TTU/HHMI Undergraduate Science Education Fellows (SEFs) deliver 20 fully equipped and supplied science laboratories to area schools.  The program delivery van travels about 20,000 miles per year, visiting area schools, where 15,000 students use the labs each year. Visit or web site at:

TTU/HHMI K-12 Science Education Highlights  TTU/HHMI helped initiate a special program for girls, “Science, it’s a Girl Thing”  Our teacher trainers provide in-service training for teachers through workshops and teacher travel to state and national meetings  Outreach programs supply major support to Super Saturdays and Shake Hands with your Future, and more! Visit or web site at:

Undergraduate Research at TTU Undergraduate students involved in research in the Texas Tech System  FY 2004 over 2,500  FY 2005 over 2,600  Increasing each year Total spending in FY 2005 for undergraduate research TTU was $2.2 million!

Undergraduate Research at Texas Tech University (continued) TTU Supports Undergraduate Research in Diverse Areas Colleges and Departments participating in undergraduate research:  Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources: Ag Economics, Range Wildlife and Farm Management, Plant and Soil Science  Architecture  Arts and Sciences: Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Classic and Modern Languages, Communication Studies, Economics and Geography, English, Environmental Toxicology, Geosciences, HESS, History, Mass Communications, Math, Physics, Political Sciences, Psychology, SASS  Business  Education: Special Education  Engineering  Honors  Human Sciences: ENRHM, MEDCE  McNair Scholars

Why participate in undergraduate research? It enhances education by: Undergraduate research enhances your education by:  Giving you the opportunity to get to know a professor  Reinforcing concepts learned in lecture classes, labs, and discussion sections  Boosting your career prospects  Increasing your motivation and confidence  Allowing you to earn money while you learn (however, not all opportunities can pay you)  Enabling you to become part of a smaller unit ( a research or science education project) within a large university  Making learning fun (feel the excitement of discovery, interact with others, learn new ideas and methods)  Fostering better critical thinking skills for life!

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Science Education Program Visit or web site at: