National Science Foundation award to extend computing initiative across curriculum - Tech Briefs - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, Jan 31, 2002 by Ronald Roach

DURHAM, N.C.

In association with the Shodor Education Foundation, based in Durham, N.C., the National Science Foundation (NSF) last month announced a $2.7 million grant to establish the National Computational Science Institute. The grant supports the goal of integrating computational science across the U.S. undergraduate curriculum in an effort to keep the nation's scientists, engineers and faculty members competitive in scientific research and education.

Created by the Shodor Education Foundation, the National Computational Science Institute (NCSI) will teach undergraduate faculty at small- to medium-size universities, community colleges and minority-serving institutions how to use new learning and teaching methods in the classroom, such as numerical modeling, interactive scientific applications and computational tools. NCSI builds upon the regional Shodor Computational Science Institute (SCSI) established in 1997 with funding from NSF.

"We are well aware of the increasing importance of computational science throughout the NSF-supported disciplines and the concomitant need for highly qualified faculty and students. The Shodor Foundation has demonstrated that it has the expertise and capability to provide the required training to faculty at the quality level necessary. We look forward enthusiastically to the results of our partnership," says Dr. Andrew Bernat, NSF program director in the division of undergraduate education.

NCSI is the only program of its kind that specifically targets teams of faculty from predominantly undergraduate institutions, minority-serving institutions and community colleges whose students are either the next generation of scientists and engineers, the next generation of K-12 teachers, or both, according to Shodor officials.