Hope College

Hope College is a private, non-profit liberal arts institution located in Holland, Michigan, registered with the federal government since November 2000 to receive federal awards. As a primarily undergraduate institution, Hope College provides scientific research, STEM education initiatives, and educational outreach services to the federal government through a portfolio of federal grants and contracts. The college leverages its position as an educational institution to advance research across multiple academic disciplines while simultaneously training the next generation of STEM professionals through undergraduate research experiences and community engagement programs.

Hope College has received one prime federal contract award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) valued at $24,827.91, awarded on February 1, 2022, with completion by January 31, 2024. This contract, classified as a grant for research with no set-aside designation, supported educational outreach focused on facilitating middle and high school students' authentic data analysis experiences through exploration of local and national atmospheric data. The award enabled Hope College to build capacity through its ExploreHope academic outreach program to partner with schools and youth-serving organizations, connecting student-driven data inquiry with NASA atmospheric data to improve student self-efficacy in STEM-focused activities.

Hope College maintains an extensive portfolio of prime federal grant awards totaling over $3.8 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) across multiple programs and divisions. Current and recent grants include research on high-temperature superconductors ($250,000), magnetar atmospheric modeling conducted collaboratively with Rice University ($208,384), bistable structures and environmentally responsive materials ($278,677), nonlinear plasma physics phenomena ($160,196), membrane transporter regulation using mass spectrometry ($269,821), peatland carbon accumulation and climate impacts ($614,000+), neural regeneration in zebrafish ($452,935), transcriptomics of environmentally-controlled plant differentiation ($501,356), and air pollution effects on avian species ($200,000+). Additional grants support nuclear science research with undergraduate researchers, materials research on halide perovskites, acquisition of scientific equipment including a field-emission scanning electron microscope, and educational initiatives such as the TRIO Upward Bound Program. Funding agencies include NSF divisions spanning Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Environmental Biology, Biological Infrastructure, Materials Research, Astronomical Sciences, and Undergraduate Education, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Office of Postsecondary Education. Hope College has also received multiple sub-grant awards from prime grantees including the University of Michigan (Michigan Space Grant Consortium), Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Rice University, Stanford University, Purdue University, the University of Texas at Austin, and UC Davis, supporting collaborative research, infrastructure projects, and educational resource development. Across all grant activities, Hope College consistently emphasizes undergraduate student engagement in research, professional development opportunities, and community outreach through programs such as bilingual STEM summer camps and curriculum-based research experiences.