The U.S. Department of Education is giving a $590,000 Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need grant to Marquette’s Department of Biological Sciences.
The grant will create a fellowship to be directed by Michael Schläppi, an associate biological sciences. Four graduate students will be supported by the fellowship program.
“We are thrilled to obtain this grant, and it’s our hope to use it to attract candidates to Marquette who otherwise wouldn’t have come to our university,” Schläppi said to Fox6 Now.
Depending on financial need, each fellow will receive an annual stipend of up to $34,000.
Schläppi said the three-year grant will help his department select fellows from underrepresented groups and first-generation college students. He also said it will be a competitive process to hire students who will conduct research and eventually become educators in their field of study.
“Sometimes, first-generation students are satisfied by obtaining an undergraduate degree,” Schläppi said to Fox6 Now. “Instead of stopping there, this grant encourages students to reach for the stars and receive their doctorates.”
Edward Blumenthal, chair of the department of biological sciences, said the fellowship grant is a win-win.
“Not only does it support students to attend graduate school who otherwise might not do so, but it also allows us to expand our graduate program and increase the amount of research ongoing at Marquette,” Blumenthal said to Fox6 Now.
