The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded almost a quarter of a million dollars to science programs at Linfield College.
The grant of $223,182 will allow Linfield’s Department of Biology to purchase a state-of-the-art microscope system that will support the scholarship and research of science faculty and students. The system will enable high-resolution imaging and data analysis, and will strengthen Linfield’s molecular and cell biology facilities. In the past five years, the school’s biology department has experienced significant growth, and currently spans multiple subdisciplines, from ecology studies to cancer research.
The equipment will also give a boost to Linfield’s Faculty-Student Collaborative Research Program.
Linfield students across the scientific disciplines conduct research in partnership with faculty, generate publishable data and present their findings at national conferences. Many co-author papers with professors that are published in peer-reviewed journals.
The NSF grant was awarded to biology Professors Anne Kruchten, Catherine Reinke and Jeremy Weisz.
“We want to provide outstanding research facilities to help prepare our students for future research or medical careers,” Kruchten said. “About 40 percent of our biology graduates in the past five years have gone on to graduate school or professional programs, and the trend is increasing.”
The National Science Foundation (NSF) currently funds 20 percent of all federally supported research at U.S. colleges and universities.
Linfield College is one of the few schools in the Pacific Northwest dedicated exclusively to undergraduate education, offering degrees in arts, sciences and professional programs. The small college was named one of the nation’s top picks for high school counselors across the U.S. and has been nationally praised for combining affordability and excellence.