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Texas Tech University’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Science Education Program @ CISER
www.ciser.ttu.edu
PROGRAM HISTORY
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a nonprofit medical research organization founded in 1953 by
aviator-industrialist Howard Hughes:
The primary purpose and objective of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute shall be the
promotion of human knowledge within the field of the basic sciences (principally the field of
medical research and medical education) and the effective application thereof for the benefit
of mankind.
The institute's major activity is to support the research by its hundreds of investigators located at medical schools,
universities, and research institutes throughout the U.S.A. www.hhmi.org In 1988, it instituted a grants program to
strengthen education in biological and related sciences at the graduate, undergraduate, and precollege levels; to
increase public understanding of science; and to support fundamental biomedical research abroad and research
resources at U.S. medical schools. The institute's undergraduate biological sciences education program, the largest
private initiative of its kind in the U.S.A., has awarded millions of dollars in support for undergraduate education
and research.
Texas Tech University has enjoyed extraordinary success in the research universities round of the undergraduate
grants competitions. Grants awarded to Texas Tech include:
5th
$0.5 million in 2010
Dr. Lou Densmore, PI/PD
5th
$1.5 million in 2006
Dr. Michael San Francisco, PI/PD
4th
$2.0 million in 2002
Dr. Larry Blanton, PI/PD
3rd
$2.0 million in 1998
Dr. Larry Blanton, PI/PD
2nd
$1.0 million in 1994
Dr. Larry Blanton PI/PD; Dr. John Burns co-PI
1st
$1.3 million in 1992
Dr. John Burns, PI/PD; Dr. Larry Blanton co-PI
The five awards received by TTU total $8.3 million and represent the most HHMI funding received by any Texas
institution. The fourth grant ranked Texas Tech’s funding as the second largest by a Big Twelve institution and 13th
in the nation among research universities, and it was during this grant that the TTU/HHMI Program was
institutionalized as the Center for the Integration of STEM Education and Research (CISER), a university-wide
center expanding the efforts of the TTU/HHMI Science Education Program. With the current 5th grant, Texas Tech
ranks as one of only sixteen invited schools in the United States who have received continuous HHMI funding since
1989. Other universities include Cornell University, Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Arizona, University of Colorado at Boulder, and Yale
University. The grants from the HHMI to TTU have funded activities in Student Research/Development and
Broadening Access to Science, Laboratory Equipment Upgrades and Curriculum Development, Current and Future
Faculty Development, Precollege Outreach and Assessment.
Student Development
The TTU/HHMI Undergraduate Research Scholars (URS) were the cornerstone of our program. We emphasize
early and continuous involvement by undergraduate students in long-term research projects in faculty laboratories.
Since 1992, we have supported the research efforts of over 500 students. These students have been authors on over
130 scientific publications (including first authorship and publications in the leading journals of the respective
fields). They have presented their research at over 350 professional scientific meetings. Prior to the TTU/HHMI
program, Texas Tech had one Goldwater Scholar in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering. During the TTU/HHMI
years, through 2007, TTU has had 27 Goldwater Scholars, with 22 of those students being participants in our
program. With the 1998 grant we extended our undergraduate research model to students in the science teacher
certification program in the TTU College of Education. The TTU/HHMI Science Education Scholars (SEdS) are
involved in our precollege outreach efforts in addition to being involved in a summer research experience.
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In 1997, the undergraduate research scholars created a recognized student organization on campus, the TTU/HHMI
Scholar Service Organization (SSO). Monthly SSO meetings facilitate planning for scholar service projects like the
TTU Undergraduate Research Conference, including involvement in K-12 schools, and tutoring TTU students in
science courses and sponsoring Research Roundtables with faculty mentors. The SSO meetings also provide an
opportunity for scholars to socialize and share their research and educational experiences. The TTU SACNAS
Chapter was established by CISER in 2003 and offers opportunities for research travel and support for
underrepresented minorities in science.
Laboratory Equipment Upgrades and Curriculum Development
The HHMI grants have provided major equipment upgrades for the introductory biology, cell biology/plant
physiology, and animal physiology laboratory courses. The third grant provided major support for the development
of the Integrated Science course in the Honors College and a significant upgrade to the equipment in the
Experimental Biochemistry course.
Precollege STEM Education Outreach
The TTU/HHMI Science Education Program has had a major positive impact upon K-12 education in the schools of
Region XVII. Some highlights include:
The Traveling Laboratory Program. We deliver fully equipped and supplied laboratories to classrooms across the
region. The labs travel thousands of miles per year and serve thousands of students annually. Teachers are provided
training in workshops to gain the opportunity to have the labs in their classrooms. The labs are delivered by our
program vans.
Small Grants Program. This year alone we have awarded over 100 small grants of amounts up to $500 to area
teachers, who have used the grants to equip new lab exercises, implement innovative ideas or travel to state and
national meetings to present workshops.
Summer Teacher Partners. Area teachers work with the HHMI staff in program activities including teacher
workshops and camps for K-12 students.
Project Future, Science It’s a Girl Thing, Super Saturdays and Shake Hands with Your Future. The SEdS
gain valuable K-12 teaching experience by serving as science instructors in these programs designed to provide
science enrichment opportunities for pre-college students.
Local Science Fairs. Science Education Scholars and HHMI Staff provide support to the local science community
by volunteering their time as judges at many district science fairs.
Give Teaching a Chance. The TTU/HHMI Science Education Scholars designed and piloted a new program
designed to offer science majors the opportunity to be involved in K-12 science education. The class is now a three
hour, upper level biology class offered each spring. .
GLOBE. As an international training site for teachers at TTU, we provide training for teachers in GLOBE (Global
Learning Observations to Benefit the Environment).
T-STEM Center. Our partnership with the Center for Engineering Outreach and the TTU Outdoor School at
Junction focuses on science, technology, engineering and math integration with a relevance to students and an
emphasis on engineering.
Faculty Development
The goal of this component is to support the research and teaching of the TTU/HHMI Graduate Teaching Scholars
(GTS), Graduate Doctoral Scholars and the Postdoctoral Teaching Scholar (PTS) programs. These opportunities
emphasize interaction with and mentoring by outstanding TTU teaching faculty in the Department of Biological
Sciences, with the objective of producing outstanding university researchers and teachers.
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