Press Release

August 16, 2019
Cardin, Van Hollen, Hoyer Announce Almost $1 Million to Boost STEM at UMD

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Steny Hoyer (all D-Md.) have announced $996,074 in federal funding to boost Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education at the University of Maryland (UMD), College Park. 

The funding, provided through the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Research on Learning, will create a year-long intensive training program for 40 scholars and ultimately expand STEM education research and broaden participation in STEM fields. The research will also focus on increasing representation of minority communities in STEM. This comes on the heels of a $1.1 million federal investment in STEM learning at UMD.

“Increasing diversity is critical to the long term strength of our STEM workforce,” said Senator Cardin. “I am pleased by this recognition of the University of Maryland’s success in opening doors for historically underrepresented groups of students to contribute to our nation’s global leadership in these fields.”

“The success of our economy will increasingly depend on developing a workforce that can keep us at the cutting-edge of technological innovation – and this investment will help Maryland equip our students with STEM skills to help them succeed. I will continue working in Congress to make sure that our students get the very best education and are ready to move America forward in the global economy,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committees.

“Investing in STEM fields is critically important to the success of our students,” said Congressman Hoyer. “This new funding will ensure our students have access to the tools they need to succeed. I’m pleased the funding will focus on minority communities, helping to close disparities in the STEM field. I will continue to support efforts to expand STEM learning in educational institutions throughout our state.”

NSF supports research, innovation, and discovery that provides the foundation for economic growth in this country. By advancing the frontiers of science and engineering, our nation can develop the knowledge and cutting edge technologies needed to address the challenges we face today and will face in the future.

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