Gaston College Foundation Receives Grant to Benefit Student Research
Gaston College Foundation receives $76,000 grant from the Women’s Impact Fund
The Gaston College Foundation has announced a $76,000 grant from the Women’s Impact Fund. The funds will be used to expand undergraduate research through the SPARC
program at Gaston College by providing students research experiences in the study of microbial populations and water quality in the Catawba River Watershed. The grant was announced at the annual meeting of Women’s Impact Fund on May 13 at UNC Charlotte Center City. The Women’s Impact Fund awarded a total of $421,000 to six local non-profits in the areas of Arts and Culture, Education, Health, Human Services, and Environment.
The investment, from the Women’s Impact Fund, will be used to address the critical need of increasing the body of knowledge on local water quality and preparing students to enter into Science Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers and education pathways beyond Gaston College. The grant-supported project will allow students to identify chemical and microbial properties from a variety of sites throughout the region, creating a map of bacterial populations and tracking changes over time. The results of the project will provide students with the opportunity to directly participate in research while contributing to the body of knowledge on water quality in local rivers and lakes.
Since 2009, Gaston College has expanded undergraduate research opportunities in STEM through the SPARC program. Undergraduate Research enhances the college experience for students pursuing an associate of science degree in STEM.
“We are so grateful for this investment from the Women’s Impact Fund,” said Dr. Patricia Skinner, President of Gaston College. “It is a testimony to the important contributions undergraduate research has made at Gaston College, and we are excited that the grant will enable us to help more students get the training and education that will prepare them for rewarding careers.”
“We are excited to award a grant to the Gaston College Foundation for the study of Microbial Populations and Water Quality,” said Anna McClelland, Chair of Women’s Impact Fund’s Grants Committee. “We look forward to the Gaston College Foundation putting these funds towards important work in our community.”
For more information on the project, please contact Patricia Williams, Principal Investigator and Instructor of Biology at [email protected]
About Gaston College Foundation:
The Gaston College Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation chartered in 1968. Led by a 15-member volunteer board of directors appointed by the Gaston College Board of Trustees, its role is to encourage and secure financial support to further the work of Gaston College. The Foundation receives and administers both restricted and unrestricted contributions in support of Gaston College’s priorities.
Gaston College is an open-door public community college, located in Gaston and Lincoln counties of North Carolina. The college promotes student success and lifelong learning through high caliber, affordable, accessible and comprehensive educational programs and services responding to economic and workforce development needs. To learn more about the Foundation’s services and programs, visit the Foundation website at www.gastoncollegefoundation.edu.
About the Women’s Impact Fund
Since 2003, the Women’s Impact Fund has amplified the significant role women play in philanthropy. Its mission is to strengthen communities by maximizing women’s leadership in philanthropy through collective giving, education and member engagement. With approximately 500 members, the organization has emerged as one of the largest women’s collective giving groups in the country and continues to create powerful change within Mecklenburg County. To date, the Women’s Impact Fund has made 76 grants totaling nearly $5.9 million. For more information, visit www.womensimpactfund.org.