Science education will get a boost at Linfield College thanks to a $100,000 grant from The Hearst Foundation, Inc.

The grant will help expand iFOCUS*, an innovative program that gives first-year Linfield students an opportunity to work with Linfield faculty and student researchers before classes begin, and learn about science across the disciplines of biology, chemistry, math and physics at Linfield.

iFOCUS started as a pre-orientation camp at Linfield, introducing students to the sciences and process of scientific research. The program brings together students and faculty to pursue wide-ranging questions and issues from the perspective of multiple disciplines instead of focusing on one single subject area. The Hearst grant will allow IFOCUS to expand to year-round programming, adding additional opportunities for more students.

“The focus of scientific research is increasingly interdisciplinary, and we are now preparing our students to become the scientists who employ multiple scientific tools as they conduct basic research or solve real-world problems,” said Linfield President Thomas Hellie. “Linfield is already notable for its interdisciplinary approach, but this generous grant will enable us to introduce our newest students to the complex and exciting world of science.”

With increasing focus on encouraging more students to enroll in STEM majors (science, technology, engineering, math), the Hearst grant will help Linfield expand the IFOCUS program by supporting:

• A summer boot camp held prior to orientation that brings faculty, student peer advisors and income students to engage in research activities that demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of science.
• Learning communities that keep students immersed in science by working collectively on an interdisciplinary science research project with a science faculty member.
• A yearly seminar series featuring lectures on interdisciplinary topics by Linfield professors or faculty members from other colleges and universities, and/or scientists prominent in their fields.

(*Interdisciplinary First year Orientation Camp for Undergraduate Sciences)