University of Wyoming & Northwest College Partner for New Science Initiative

Northwest College and the University of Wyoming are partnering for a first-of-its-kind science program to promote medical research and education for more students throughout the state.

Northwest College is proud to be the first community college in the state to partner with the University of Wyoming in a new science initiative funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence 3 Grant (HHMI IE3).

The institute is a science philanthropy whose mission is to advance basic biomedical research and science education for the benefit of humanity. In creating the grant, the H.H.M.I. challenges U.S. colleges and universities to substantially and sustainably build their capacity for student belonging, especially for those historically excluded from the sciences.

The Wyoming Inclusive Excellence team is focusing on creating effective partnerships between two- and four-year institutions that develop from existing relationships, one of the three stated dimensions of inclusive excellence. The team has accepted membership in a national learning community composed of 15 fellow institutional teams from across the nation.

Northwest College is the first state community college to engage with U.W. in its work.

University of Wyoming and Northwest College educators recently met as their own “learning community” to set inclusive excellence goals.

Representing Northwest College were:

• Deepthi Amarasuriya, Physics
• Eric Atkinson, Biological sciences
• Tim Glatzer, Mathematics
• Kim Kost, Terri Meyer, and Lindsay Shaw from the TRiO program
• Lisa Smith, Institutional research manager
• Uko Udodong, Chemistry

Representing the University of Wyoming were:

• Annie Bergman of the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program
• Erin Bentley, botany and Program in Ecology graduate student from Green River
• Christi Boggs, associate director of digital teaching and learning in the Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning and a faculty member in the School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice

The Wyoming Inclusive Excellence team received a small learning grant during phase one of the IE3 initiative to gather information about inclusive excellence at U.W. and the state’s community colleges. Phase two is now underway.

When the national learning community and H.H.M.I. leaders are satisfied with the structure and content of the proposal, more than $8 million in additional funding will be distributed among the 15 institutional teams, enabling them to continue their work.