Research grant for minority students at LaGuardia

LaGuardia Community College recently received a $1.2 million grant to allow under-represented minority students interested in science-related careers to pursue scientific research as part of their academic experience.
Provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the grant enables 18 science majors to engage in hands-on, faculty-supervised research in the fields of biology, chemistry, behavioral sciences, mathematics and bioengineering, said Randy Fader-Smith, spokesperson for LaGuardia.
“It is our mission to raise the aspirations of low-income, first-generation, minority students and then assist them to achieve their goals,” said Dr. John Bihn, a biology professor who coordinates the NIH-funded program.
One person who participated in the program is Milton Herrera, 26, who graduated from LaGuardia, in Long Island City, this spring with a degree in electrical engineering.
As part of his NIH-funded research, Herrera created a physical circuit with an amplifier to detect physiological signals, such as heartbeat and pulse.
“The program provided me with a rare opportunity to take the theory that I learned in the classroom and use it to actually build a physical circuit that is similar to an electrocardiogram, and to understand the concept beyond the math,” Herrera explained.
A resident of Elmhurst who came to the United States from Colombia six years ago, Herrera is now at City College in Manhattan working toward a Bachelor’s degree. He said his dream is to get a Ph.D. in telecommunications because he finds the technology behind it to be fascinating.
“Literature shows that student researchers gain a better understanding of and appreciation for the research process, gain clearer career goals and are more likely to pursue graduate degrees,” explained Bihn.
Dr. Hendrick Delcham, a mathematics professor who is overseeing the program’s day-to-day operation, said he has seen evidence of that. “Out of the over 300 students who have gone through the program since it began in 1993, 94 percent have graduated,” said Delcham.
“Out of that group, 230 went on to pursue bachelor degrees in the sciences, and more than 50 went to obtain post-graduate degrees,” Delcham added.
NIH has been providing the grant for 14 consecutive years, Fader-Smith said.