$2.7 million NSF grant supports cell research, science education

Colorado State University scientists received a $2.7 million National Science Foundation grant to train graduate students in cutting-edge research and prepare them to share their knowledge with K-12 teachers and industry leaders.

The grant will help the United States stay competitive globally by boosting college enrollments in science and engineering and providing emerging scientists with resources to educate their communities.

On the scientific side of the grant, Colorado State graduate students will test new theories about cell behavior using advanced engineering methods in microelectronics and electrochemistry — research led by CSU engineering professor Tom Chen and biomedical sciences professor Stuart Tobet. The students will study how biosensors "track" cell movement in the brain.

In one region of the brain, scientists can observe chemical communications between cells, says Tobet. "We don't know what happens as those chemicals, known as neurotransmitters, are released." Ultimately, biosensors could help predict when patients will experience an epileptic attack or chronic pain.

After the research phase, engineering education professor Michael A. De Miranda will work with the students to share what they’ve learned with K-12 teachers in the region's Poudre, Thompson Valley, Greeley, and Weld RE-9 school districts.

The program hopes to boost interest in science and technology. The nation faces a declining number of engineering graduates (the annual graduation rate in engineering has decreased by roughly 20 percent in the last decade), while the number of engineering jobs is expected to grow 25 to 30 percent by the end of the century, according to the National Research Council’s Board of Engineering Education.

The NSF grant will introduce elementary and high school students to career possibilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and bring cutting-edge science — and industry leaders — into the classroom.