ECU engineering program receives $600,000 NSF grant

GREENVILLE, NC  —   A $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will fund scholarships for East Carolina University engineering students and underwrite critical student research and collaboration with national scholars.

The 5-year NSF grant is a milestone for a 7-year-old engineering program, said Dr. Hayden Griffin, department chair for engineering. It will be an asset for the program, helping address financial need and open additional academic doors for students, he said.

“It is an amazing opportunity for talented North Carolina students who lack financial means to attend ECU and earn an engineering degree that will prepare them well for a successful career,” Griffin said.

The NSF Science, Technology, Engineering and Math project makes grants to universities to support academically talented, financially needy students pursuing associate, bachelor’s or graduate degrees in science and engineering. ECU’s grant application focused on expanding engineering in rural eastern North Carolina.

ECU’s scholarship recipients will be state residents who have already been accepted in the program. They will work closely with the Noyce Scholars, a group of ECU graduate students who plan to become K-12 math and science teachers.

Research supported by the grant will focus on understanding how students learn engineering.

“This NSF grant allows us to take some very important steps forward to continue our growth in engineering in North Carolina,” said Dr. David White, dean of the ECU College of Technology and Computer Science.

An advisory board of faculty from ECU, Michigan Tech, Purdue, Virginia Commonwealth and Virginia Tech will oversee the project.

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