Tri-C gets grant to help students develop into scientists

Cuyahoga Community College announced it will continue building “bridges” to success for science scholars through a new $2.5 million award from the National Institutes of Health.

The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Grant is designed to help community college students develop into future scientists, according to a news release. It is focused on increasing degree attainment for underrepresented groups in biomedical fields.

The program connects twoyear institutions with four-year colleges and universities for continuation of study.

Tri-C is partnering with Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University, the release stated.

Tri-C has built a record of student achievement since becoming a partner in the NIH Bridges program in 1998. More than 250 Tri-C students have

completed the program, with 70% transferring to a four-year school, the release stated.

Of those transfers, half went on to earn a bachelor’s degree. Twenty-nine of those students achieved a master’s degree. Eight of them earned a doctorate.

“Doors to opportunity open through the Bridges program,” Geza Varhegyi, an associate biology professor at Tri-C and director of the program, said in the release. “We’re proud to collaborate with Case and CSU to help students begin building careers in the sciences.”

The new grant will provide scholarship support to 75 students over the next five years. As part of their studies, participants will work on research projects with faculty mentors from Tri-C, CWRU and CSU and present their findings.