Benedictine University Selected to Participate in U.S. Department of Energy’s $70 Million Grant Program to Support Historically Underrepresented Groups in STEM.

Byline: Steve Singerman

Lisle, IL – Three Benedictine University students pursuing studies and careers in astrophysics will be selected to participate in a just announced U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) $70 million program created to support research by historically underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and to diversify leadership in the physical sciences.

Funding for the program comes through DOE’s Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) initiative that supports internships, training programs, and mentor opportunities at 65 different U.S. institutions.

According to a DOE press release: "To compete on the global stage, America will need to draw scientists and engineers from every pocket of the nation, and especially from communities that have been historically underrepresented in STEM," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.

The program entitled RENEW Midwest initiates a partnership among Benedictine University, Black Hills State University in South Dakota (BHSU) and the University of Michigan. Benedictine University and BHSU will each select three undergraduate students to form a cohort beginning this academic year. All six students will attend a ten-week summer program at the University of Michigan to learn professional, writing, and research skills. The University of Michigan is a world leader in research and participates in many prominent science experiments.

All six students will then return to their campuses in the fall to participate in year-long research projects. At BHSU, the project will focus on dark matter physics at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. At Benedictine, the project will focus on astrophysics, including work with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and follow-up of gravitational wave events with the Dark Energy Survey Gravitational Wave Collaboration. At Benedictine, the grant will support the construction of the new Benedictine Remote Observing Center which will allow remote operation of world-class telescopes.

One of the major goals of the RENEW grant is to support students in getting accepted into and being successful at highly ranked graduate programs in physics; early participation in research will help with that goal.

For Benedictine University, this further strengthens and promotes its renowned physics program, a program that was founded almost a century ago by the monks of St. Procopius Abbey. This grant also continues the Benedictine mission to enhance access, diversity, equity and inclusion on campus and to elevate the student experience of historically marginalized and systematically underserved populations.

“The three Benedictine students selected to participate in RENEW Midwest will receive training, hands-on experiences and some financial support and will be exposed to new career avenues in science and engineering,” said Benedictine’s Matthew Wiesner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics and Engineering, who led the University’s efforts to participate in the program.

“We’re proud to be one of the only universities in the Chicago-area, and one of the few universities in the U.S. to be selected for this program,” said Wiesner. “For three students interested in astrophysics, this is the opportunity of a young lifetime.”

Benedictine students can apply for the program here – https://bit.ly/3ZaB7oD – on the University’s website.