Loyola faculty awarded 3-year, half-million-dollar grant to support future STEM professionals
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Qi Shi, Ph.D., LCPC, director of the Center for Equity, Leadership, and Social Justice in Education (CELSJE), a three-year, $498,271 grant to support her research on preparing the next generation of STEM professionals.
This research award will fund a postdoctoral fellow in CELSJE and continue to strengthen Loyola’s research in equity and STEM education by producing information that helps counselors, educators, and research programs to address the unique needs of LatinX and Hispanic students.
“I am super excited to receive this award from NSF to keep studying Latina students in STEM undergraduate programs,” said Shi, associate professor of school counseling. “Findings from this study can be used to develop inclusive policies and counseling strategies to broaden participation and increase persistence in STEM at both Predominantly White Institutions and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.”
Shi’s award, titled “Latinas Resistance Behaviors in Engineering Programs at Predominantly White Institutions and Hispanic-Serving Institutions: An Intersectional View,” will produce information that helps counselors, educators, and researchers to design interventions and programs at those institutions to address the unique needs of LatinX students.
"Research like Dr. Qi Shi’s is adding to our growing understanding of systemic barriers and ways to ensure inclusive environments and equitable outcomes for all students,” said Afra Ahmed Hersi, Ph.D., dean of Loyola’s School of Education.
The half-million-dollar award comes on the heels of two other grants Shi helped secure. A $1.2 million award from the NSF and a $3.3 million award from the U.S. Department of Education.
About the U.S. National Science Foundation
The NSF is an independent federal agency established by Congress in 1950 that supports
science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories.