NSF awards Phoenix College $1.5 million under its HSI Program
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced its first research awards under its Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions program, (HSI Program).
Phoenix College, part of the Maricopa County Community College system, will receive $1,499,985.00 to support integrating research, mentoring, and industry collaborations to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) recruitment and retention.
Phoenix College is one of 31 educational institutions selected, including five community colleges, to receive a total of $45 million in funding as part of NSF’s HSI Program.
“Six of our 10 colleges are Hispanic Serving Institutions, serving many first-generation college goers,” said Chancellor Maria Harper-Marinick, “We are a pipeline to Arizona’s universities and industries, we impact every business, trade, and the economy. Preparing our students for the workforce is instrumental for our communities.”
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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