UNC has been chosen as one of the three universities to share in the $7.75 million grant from The Howard Hughes Medical Institution (HHMI) in order to increase and diversify the number of students that can participate in the fields of science, technology, economics, and mathematics, or STEM fields.

This money will be used specifically to increase the size of the Chancellor’s Science Scholars program, which allows for students, especially those of a low-income or underrepresented background, to have the opportunity and support to study in these STEM fields.

Chancellor Carol Folt stated that the grant will greatly aid the United States as a whole in building a diverse workforce through students of UNC. “With this grant from HHMI, we’re proud that we are charting a new course for how to train the next generation of great scientists and engineers,” Folt declared.

The Association of American Universities’ has also recently deemed UNC as one university out of eight for the association’s goal of improving the overall quality of the undergraduate education of STEM fields.

Hooker Distinguished Professor of Biology at UNC, Mark Peifer, believes that when it comes to increasing student resources for the future, we need all the help we can get. “Training the best scientists is critical now, yet our talent pool is shrinking. If we are going to solve the world’s problems, we need everybody at the table.”

Related Stories
‹
NC Policy Collaboratory to Fund GenX Research
The North Carolina Policy Collaboratory at UNC recently announced $430,000 in grants for three research projects regarding contaminants in water supplies in North Carolina, including GenX – a potentially toxic industrial compound that has been detected in the Cape Fear River. The collaboratory, which has been funded by the state legislature for two years, exclusively […]
'Girls Talk Math' Encourages Young Women to Pursue Careers in Mathematics
In today’s workforce, women hold about 21 percent of technical jobs. They hold 32 percent of computer-systems design jobs, and in 2015 they made up 12 percent of engineering jobs, according to a survey. These statistics are what two UNC graduate students had in mind when developing “Girls Talk Math” last year. It’s a day […]
Special Cohort of UNC Students to Graduate Sunday
Sierra Atwater is a senior at UNC. She’s local, from Pittsboro. Like other students, she’s graduating on Sunday with a bachelor of science in biology and a chemistry minor. But unlike many other students, she’s graduating with a cohort of carefully chosen students, called Chancellor’s Science Scholars or CSS. She began the program during the […]
UNC's American Indian Center Receives Grant to Strengthen Programs
The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust has awarded a grant to the American Indian Center at UNC to strengthen programs in preventing obesity and chronic disease. The near-$400,000 grant will support the Healthy North Carolinians Network, a center that promotes “Healthy Eating and Active Living” for North Carolina’s tribes and Indian organizations. Dr. Amy Locklear […]
UNC Receives Second-Highest Fundraising Total
...a nine-percent increase from the previous year.
UNC Receives Grant To Improve Science Education
Extra focus on undergraduate education in science will be the result of a $500,000 grant recently received by UNC.
Bill Belichick Remains 'Focused' on Next Game Amid UNC Football Investigation
Prior to UNC head coach Bill Belichick’s press conference at the Kenan Football Center Monday, associate athletic director for football communications Brandon Faber stepped to the podium and said that due to the ongoing investigation of the program, Belichick would not be able to answer any questions on that topic. Once Belichick took the podium, […]
This Week in UNC Sports: September 7-13, 2026
This series of posts will be made weekly on Chapelboro with a full schedule of UNC sports contests, both in Chapel Hill and elsewhere. Note that game times and broadcast information are subject to change due to inclement weather or other factors. After two weeks which saw Tar Heel teams playing as far east as […]
UNC Soccer: Women Win at Arizona State, Men Draw at Cal
Both the UNC men’s and women’s soccer teams were playing out west Sunday. The women used a penalty kick goal to beat Arizona State 1-0 in Tempe, while the men battled to a 2-2 draw against Cal in Berkeley. On the women’s side, the Tar Heels and Sun Devils combined for just seven total shots […]
UNC Field Hockey Beats No. 2 Princeton After Penalty Shootout
Freshman Sofia Ferri scored in the fifth and final round of a penalty shootout to help UNC beat No. 2 Princeton 1-0 at Karen Shelton Stadium Sunday afternoon. SHOOTOUT DUB ✅ HOUSE PROTECTED ✅#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/3pwTU3NUba — Carolina Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) September 6, 2026 The two teams had played to a scoreless draw after […]
›