Arizona Science, Engineering, and Math Scholars–Veterans (ASEMS-V), a new program aimed at supporting veterans in STEM fields, is launching at the University of Arizona. The effort’s support services will be similar to the ASEMS program that now serves underrepresented students at the university. arizona.edu
The School of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, will launch a new two-year master’s program focused on medical cannabis for graduate students interested in research or medical cannabis science and therapeutics.
And a new 10-story, $200 million life sciences building is planned for the university’s BioPark campus. The facility will include research and office space to support research-based firms that can benefit from proximity to university resources. umaryland.edu
An astronomy course that incorporates Indigenous sky stories will be offered at Western University in London, Ontario. It is the first such course to be offered in Canada. western.ca
The NSF has given Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., a $1.2 million grant to launch a new STEM teacher program. Over a five-year period the university will work with local elementary school districts to implement the program, called Scholars Integrating Science Tech Engineering Math in Elementary Classrooms. sacredheart.edu
Starting in 2020, the University of Colorado Boulder will be offering stand-alone degree programs in biomedical engineering at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. colorado.edu
A $2 million NSF grant has gone to Alcorn State University in Jackson, Miss., to support STEM scholarships and help meet the demand for STEM teachers. alcorn.edu
Six new tenure-track professors will be added to the Chemistry Department at NYU, and nearly 70,000 square feet of lab space will be renovated as part of a multidisciplinary chemical biology initiative. The goal is to develop molecular solutions in biology and medicine. nyu.edu
The new $1 billion Innovation Campus of Virginia Tech will be located on a 65-acre site in Alexandria, near the new Amazon headquarters. About 15 acres will be occupied by the campus and the rest will be mixed use. The facility will build on the school’s core strengths in science and engineering. Virginia Tech anticipates conferring 1,500 master’s degrees and 250 PhDs. vt.edu
The Samueli School of Engineering at UCLA has received an additional gift of $100 million from its namesake donor, Broadcom billionaire and UCLA alumnus Henry Samueli. The funds will support expanding faculty in emerging areas and enrolling more students. ucla.edu
The launch of a sustainable urban food system has been funded by a $2 million grant to the Ohio State University, Mansfield, from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. The goals of the Mansfield Microfarm Project are to increase access to fresh produce and support the local economy. Ohio State has also announced plans to build a $17 million veterinary clinic as part of its Veterinary Medical Center. osu.edu
The Indigenous history of the campus of the University of Alberta has been mapped by a Native Studies student. The 27 points on the map of this pîtosmâmitoneyihtamowin UAlberta (“reimagine” in Cree) project reveal layers of colonial and Native interpretations of history, with stories and videos attached to each link. ualberta.ca
Seattle University has broken ground on a new $100 million Center for Science and Innovation, and Amazon has donated $3 million to the center, which hopes to attract more women and underrepresented students to STEM fields like computer science and engineering. The five-story building will be located at the heart of the urban campus, and the first phase is scheduled for completion in 2021. seattleu.edu
The annual progress report on diversity and inclusion at Brown University shows that the school is continuing to increase staff, faculty, and students from historically underrepresented groups. The report is part of the school’s “Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion” action plan, launched in 2016. brown.edu
A new $121 million STEM facility designed for cutting-edge learning, research, and collaboration is planned for a space at the heart of the VCU campus. The six-story building is part of a master plan that creates new green spaces, student commons, and a wellness building, among other facilities. vcu.edu
A new “drone degree” is now being offered at Elizabeth State University in North Carolina. The BS program in unmanned aircraft systems will prepare students for work in fields like precision agriculture, homeland security, infrastructure inspection, and mapping. ecsu.edu
In a recent analysis of the pharmaceutical industry, the Center for Drug Development at Tufts University found that artificial intelligence applications are being increasingly adopted in various ways, with most sources planning to expand uses of AI. Most applications are in safety, risk management, IT, and clinical operations. tufts.edu
Starting this fall semester, MBA students at USC’s Marshall School of Business will be able to opt for a new STEM concentration. The STEM-certified specialization in Management Science will combine data-driven analysis and other expertise in demand in today’s job market with the traditional MBA coursework. usc.edu
UBC has received a $21.7 million grant to fund research into nano-medicine, composite manufacturing, and water quality for Indigenous and nonurban communities. The water initiative will incorporate a community circle model to make sure each community’s needs are addressed. ubc.ca
Swiss billionaire Hansjoerg Wyss has supported the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University with a $131 million donation. harvard.edu
A $9 million grant will be shared by Harvard and MIT to support research into the effects on brain development, behavior, and health of cannabinoids (the chemical compounds in marijuana). harvard.edu, mit.edu
Scholarship funding at Georgetown University has been enlarged by a $10 million donation from the Penner Family Foundation intended to increase access and opportunities for students from low-income families. georgetown.edu
The new Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, the first in the nation dedicated to this field, will open at the University of Chicago thanks to a $100 million gift from the Pritzker Foundation. The school will support programs in areas like quantum engineering, biotechnology, and energy storage. uchicago.edu
Students in the most popular undergraduate major — computer science — at Princeton University will benefit from a gift that will make it possible to consolidate all the facilities for the major in a single central building, slated to open in 2026. princeton.edu
This fall a new major that combines water science with public policy is available to students at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. The major launches as the state grapples with issues of drinking water quality and those related to nutrient runoff and other implications for groundwater. uwgb.edu
A $10 million gift will fund a state-of-the-art molecular engineering laboratory at Cornell. In addition, 3M and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University have renewed their five-year partnership on the 3M Food Safety and Quality Lab. Overseen by the Department of Food Science, the lab has a major focus on food spoilage and reducing the environmental impact of the food industry. cornell.edu
A $12 million engineering building is in the works at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. The engineering program was launched in 2016 and graduated its first students this year. umary.edu
The Science and Engineering Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has opened the Mass Aggie Seed Library for borrowing and donating seeds. In addition to books and tools to encourage saving seeds, the library includes a collection of organic, open-pollenated, and heirloom fruit and vegetable seeds. umass.edu