Improving institutional capacity in undergraduate biology courses with laboratory equipment

Regis University received a $200,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2029. This award supports an educational instrumentation project designed to strengthen undergraduate learning in molecular and cell biology through the acquisition of critical laboratory equipment. The funded equipment includes three thermocyclers, one quantitative PCR (qPCR) machine, classroom sets of compound and stereo microscopes, and one confocal microscope. These instruments will enable approximately 690 undergraduate students and 12 faculty members annually to conduct research and coursework in molecular biology, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, virology, and immunology, while facilitating investigation of cellular processes at the DNA, RNA, protein, and whole organism levels.

This project is supported through the HSI (Hispanic-Serving Institutions) Program component, which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM fields, and increase institutional capacity for innovation in STEM teaching and learning. Project impact will be assessed using validated instruments including portions of the Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) and the Biology Self-Efficacy Scale. No sub-awards are planned for this grant.

Abstract

With support from the improving undergraduate stem education: hispanic-serving institutions (HSI program), this educational instrumentation project at regis university will strengthen undergraduate learning in molecular biology and cell biology. Specifically, this project will secure three thermocyclers, one qpcr machine, classroom sets of compound and stereo microscopes, and one confocal microscope, which will allow students to conduct research and coursework in molecular biology, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, virology, and immunology. An estimated 690 students and 12 faculty will utilize the project-funded equipment each year. The goals of this project are to enrich the learning and experiences of undergraduate students by upgrading and providing critical equipment in molecular and cell biology. This project also focuses on using molecular biology tools to elucidate cellular processes at the DNA, RNA, protein, and whole organism levels. The project will assess the impact of the funded equipment using portions of the survey of undergraduate research experiences (SURE) and the biology self-efficacy scale. This project is funded by the HSI program, which aims to enhance undergraduate stem education, broaden participation in stem, and increase capacity to engage in the development and implementation of innovations to improve stem teaching and learning at hsis. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.