Rivier Receives $650,000 STEM Grant

Douglas Howard, VP of academic affairs; Susan Barbaro, associate professor of biology & department coordinator; and Sister Paula Marie Buley, president of Rivier College. Credit: Rivier College

The National Science Foundation has awarded the biology department at Rivier College a five-year, $650,000 grant to support the education of young scientists. The grant will fund a pilot program titled ARGYLES (Attract, Retain and Graduate Young LifE Scientists) to engage biology majors as emergent scientists who will contribute to the vitality of the STEM workforce in the Northeast. ARGYLES successes will be shared with peer institutions to encourage program adoption at other colleges and universities through conference presentations, news releases and peer-reviewed journals.

The ARGYLES program will provide four-year scholarships, and signature learning and professional experiences to academically talented students from lower-income families. Preference will be given to minority, female and first-generation learners, currently underrepresented in the STEM disciplines. Key program components include summer field study, peer and faculty mentoring, community building, independent research proposals and projects, travel to scientific conferences, and workforce preparation.

“This grant will not only assist current STEM students but also enable Rivier to expand a model for student engagement in other disciplines,” says Sister Paula Marie Buley, Rivier’s President. “ARGYLES’ offers four pillars of support: academic, financial, vocational and communal. In addition, the focus on experiential learning will offer both a hands-on educational experience and build diversity within the scientific community.”

 Program objectives establish a progression from campus to community to career for students. Goals include recruitment and enrollment of qualified students; building community within the ARGYLES cohort and active participation in campus life and the Greater Nashua community; increased retention and graduation rates; and continuation to STEM graduate study or employment in their field within six months of graduation.