Faculty Grants and Service

Projects directed by Evergreen Science Faculty to promote access for under-represented students to STEM fields:

STEM education at The Evergreen State College provides a pathway for people who are economically disadvantaged to earn a BS degree that will make them hirable in our modern society. A BS degree provides them with lifetime of employment in jobs with higher wages, a direct and measurable impact on both the individual student and their family. This list provides a selection of external grants that Evergreen science faculty have been awarded to increase participation by underserved students in STEM in the past decade (in chronological order):

2006-2011: "Undergraduate Scholarships: Using Interdisciplinary Learning Communities to Improve Retention and Success in Biology and Chemistry”; NSF S-STEM Award: Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE)-0631176; $457,435 PI: Dr. Paula Schofield, Co-PI: Dr. Andrew Brabban.

2011-2015: "Expanding and Enhancing Interdisciplinary Learning Communities in Biology and Chemistry"; NSF S-STEM Award: Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE)-1060399; $596,641 PI: Dr. Paula Schofield, Co-PI: Dr. Andrew Brabban.

Results of NSF S-STEM Awards: The formal assessment of the project’s success employed strategies to analyze our own scholarship recipient group data by comparing it to their direct peers at the College (822 students studying the same subjects that were not in the scholarship program). A total of 49 scholarship recipients were part of this project, and they represent non-traditional college students in key demographic areas. In fact, this group was higher in all demographic areas of diversity than the Evergreen comparison group: 26.5% students of color (compared to 20.1%); 53.1% female (compared to 48.7%), 16.3% with disability (compared to 9.9%); and 42.9% above 24 years old (compared to 38.2%). The recipient group also demonstrated serious financial need, with 93.9% below the federal poverty level, with the comparison group at only 62.5%; and 73.5% of our students were Pell grant recipients, compared to 48.3% of the comparison group. The data further reveal:

  • 88% of our recipients persist in STEM studies at Evergreen or have already completed Bachelor of Science degree, compared to 54% of the comparison group.

  • 73.5% of our recipients graduated with a BS degree, compared to 42.2% from the comparison group.

  • Only 8.2% of our recipients left the college, while 26.6% of the comparison group left Evergreen.

2010-2011: “Curation and Databasing of the Evergreen Herbarium Bryophyte Collection”; Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) Research Grant; PI Dr. Lalita Calabria

2012-2013: “Bryophyte and Lichen Flora of South Puget Sound Prairies”; Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) Research Grant; PI Dr. Lalita Calabria

Results of the WNPS awards: Dr. Lalita Calabria mentored undergraduate students that belonged to one or more groups under-represented in the sciences (female, low-income, LGBTQ and/or BIPOC students). Students contributed to field and lab research for these grants, co-authored related peer-reviewed publications and presented research at bioregional science conferences.

2013-2017: “SEA-PHAGES: Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science” Participant: Dr. Jim Neitzel

Results of the SEA-PHAGES award: The SEA-PHAGES project is a national initiative to engage undergraduates in authentic scientific discovery and has involved over 4,800 students at 73 institutions. Evergreen students participated in this project through coursework with Dr. Jim Neitzel. The program has been shown to enhance persistence in the sciences and positively influence academic achievement. Participants showed higher levels of understanding of ethical science conduct, readiness for research, clarity about their chosen career, and understanding how scientists think (Jordan et al. 2014). Over the years, Jim Neitzel supported 342 students to participate in SEA-PHAGES and taught 11 sections as part of programs at Evergreen (https://seaphages.org/institution/EVER/).

2014-2015: “Lichen Communities of Garry Oak (Quercus garryana) in WA State”; Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) Research Grant; PI Dr. Lalita Calabria

Results of the WNPS award: Dr. Lalita Calabria mentored undergraduate students that belonged to one or more groups under-represented groups in the sciences (female, low-income, LGBTQ and/or BIPOC students). Students contributed to field and lab research for these grants, co-authored related peer-reviewed publications and presented research at bioregional science conferences.

2015-2021: “Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Life at extremes: Linking the phylogenetic and genomic diversity of ctenophores to ecophysiological adaptations in the deep sea.” NSF Award: Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)-1542673; $523,000; PI Dr. Erik Thuesen. [Connected to collaborative proposals: DEB-1542597 and DEB-1542679]

Results of the Dimensions awards: This science proposal examined the diversity of biochemical characteristics of ctenophores from around the world, with particular focus on species from representative habitats off California and Hawai’i, and in Puget Sound. The DEEPC project provided research and training opportunities for 21 undergraduates, 16 graduate students, and collaborating scientists locally and in Hawai’i. Extensive research cruises provided opportunities for 55 students, scientists, and communicators to go to sea and experience deep-sea biological operations. At Evergreen, this project provided research training for 2 MES students (one BIPOC, one woman) who completed their Masters degrees, 10 undergraduate students (three BIPOC), 1 high school teacher, and 1 high school student (BIPOC). STEM Workshops were provided to rural middle school girls, participants collaborated with a Smithsonian exhibit about life in the deep sea, and articles were published in the New York Times, Nature, New Yorker, and National Geographic.

2016-2017: “Bureau of Land Management-Interagency Special Status Sensitive Species Program (ISSSSP)”; BLM award; PI Dr. Lalita Calabria

Results of the ISSSSP award: Development of an index ecological continuity for lichen and bryophyte (cryptogam) communities of Quercus garryana-dominated habitats in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM). Dr. Lalita Calabria mentored undergraduate students that belonged to one more groups under-represented in the sciences (female, low-income, LGBTQ and/or BIPOC students). Students contributed to field and lab research for these grants, co-authored related peer-reviewed publications and presented research at bioregional science conferences.

2018-2023: “EAGER: How genetic variation in riparian trees influences stream succession and ecosystem function” NSF Award: Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)-1836387; $224,891; PI Dr. Carri LeRoy, ROA participant Dr. Debra Finn, Missouri State University.

Results of the EAGER award: This science proposal examined the influence of willow genetics and sex across the early successional landscape of Mount St. Helens. The project has involved over 35 undergraduate students (9 BIPOC, 7 LGBTQIA) at Evergreen, 17 of whom have been co-authors on scientific papers, 4 have attended international conferences in the sciences. Participants in the project provided outreach to rural middle school girls, Upward Bound students, rural K-12 students, and articles were published in The Daily News, High Country News, LA Times, and Science Magazine. Dr. LeRoy’s research with undergraduates finds a place in a new video to be played every 30 minutes in the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center. Based on this and other work with undergraduate students, Dr. LeRoy was nominated for and received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Biden (2021).

2018-2023: “Louis Stokes STEM Pathways and Research Alliance: All Nations Alliance for Minority Participation” NSF Award: EES Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM (ESS)-1826637; $3,999,999; Participant Dr. Nancy Murray

Results of the ANAMP award: The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program assists universities and colleges in diversifying the STEM workforce through increasing the number of underrepresented minority students successfully completing degree programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The All Nations Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (ANLSAMP) has a long history of successfully implementing innovative student programs that has been instrumental to program success.

The mission of the ANLSAMP is to increase the number of American Indians and other underrepresented minorities receiving a baccalaureate degree in STEM. This is accomplished through direct participant support and collaborations with 35 geographically diverse partner institutions (Evergreen is a partner institution). ANLSAMP provides students support at critical junctures during their academic career. This includes financial support, conference travel assistance, and domestic and international research opportunities. In addition, ANLSAMP offers students an intercultural education component shown to positively influence retention. The Resilience through Intercultural Skill Enhancement (RISE) program teaches the skills needed to thrive in diverse cultural environments. RISE is the focus of a scientific research project to investigate the effectiveness and efficiencies of various program delivery methods.

Dr. Murray is the campus liaison for ANAMP grant. The grant provides quarterly stipends for at least three students with satisfactory academic progress. Dr. Murray has helped organize high impact practices like study abroad for these students, one of whom is spending 2 weeks in Costa Rica with the Organization for Tropical Studies this year.

2021-2023: “RCN-UBE: Incubator: Broadening Student Access to Field Experiences using The Virtual Field Platform” Faculty Content Contributor (2021-2022) Dr. Lalita Calabria, Faculty Lead (2023 submission planned) Dr. Lalita Calabria [Research Coordination Network (RCN), Undergraduate Biology Education (UBE)]

Results of the RCN-UBE award: This project is creating a new network of staff at field stations and marine labs combined with faculty and students at community colleges, tribal colleges, professional student organizations, and minority serving institutions. Only a small proportion of the hundreds of thousands of college students can be hosted at natural areas to conduct research and take classes. This project brings underwater coastal marine and estuarine communities, vast grasslands, alpine forests, and rocky foothills into the classroom with both recorded and live instruction and real scientists and graduate students as role models, enabling a broader range of college students to experience, observe, catalog, and explore the natural world. Place-based learning experiences have a profound effect on undergraduate students, creating deeper connections with the concepts studied, a long-term engagement in sciences, and exposure to developing STEM careers unfamiliar to these audiences.

Dr. Lalita Calabria developed curriculum for Evergreen students in 2021, who were able to use the Virtual Field network. Dr. Calabria also attended a multi-day workshop to network and develop the next proposal for funding (and which she will be a faculty lead on).

2022: Latinx Youth Summit; Co-Organized by Dr. Gerardo Chin-Leo

400+ Latinx Youth to attend an all-day event on Evergreen campus, November 22, 2022.