B-CU gets $400K grant for biology

Published: Sunday, August 17, 2014 at 5:10 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, August 17, 2014 at 5:10 p.m.

DAYTONA BEACH The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant of $400,000 to Bethune-Cookman University that will benefit biology students.

The grant supports the colleges Targeted Infusion Project: Developing Quantitative Expertise in the Undergraduate Biology Curriculum (QEUBiC).

The project is directed by professors Raphael D. Isokpehi, Elizabeth R. Congdon and Katharina C. Wollenberg Valero. The award started Friday runs through July 2017.

This grant aligns with our vision to make Bethune-Cookman University a great institution that offers an outstanding education, said B-CU President Dr. Edison O. Jackson. We strive to offer our students a relevant, dynamic education that prepares them for a globalized marketplace.

The project at at B-CU seeks to enhance undergraduate education in the biology department by developing a curriculum that focuses on quantitative expertise, Isokpehi said. Students will be taught how to work with large data sets to understand biological systems and to solve problems in biology.

Assessment metrics that integrate quantitative literacy, scientific literacy and strategic learning will be developed as part of the overall evaluation of the project, Isokpehi said.

Three new biology courses will be created through the project in the areas of bioinstrumentation, cloud computing and computational genetics. Also, the project will infuse concepts of data flow, data analytics and data curation in a series of five research-oriented biology core courses.

Biology is now a data driven science and we especially want to make sure that our students are prepared with the latest skills sets to be able to compete for lucrative jobs, Isokpehi said.

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B-CU gets $400K grant for biology