The Department of Engineering has been awarded a five-year National Science Foundation grant for $621,000 for the project PEARL (Pathways for Engineering: Access to Resources for Learning). The continuing grant was awarded for the scientific and technical merit of the project, and will remain in effect until August 2018.

The grant will provide at least 184 one-semester scholarships to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students in the form of tuition support, living support and hybrid aid. Due to the high enrollment of underrepresented minorities at Northern, PEARL  will provide Hispanic and Native American students with educational, research and career opportunities often unavailable to them.

The project is intended to enhance the recruitment of full-time students into engineering baccalaureate programs and provide financial resources to help students focus on their education. Other project activities include exposing students to research activities which will prepare them for graduate school opportunities or obtaining employment in local industry. Students will also receive continual support through advisement and mentorship as well as job skills training. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Ivan Lopez. For further information, you can contact Dr. Lopez at ilopez@nnmc.edu.