Rice University received a $2.5 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) over a five-year period as part of the Driving Change initiative, which links research universities striving to create inclusive STEM learning environments for students.

Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Rice University, expressed her gratitude and honour that her university had been chosen for the Driving Change initiative on behalf of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “Rice has paved the way for students to succeed, and this funding will enable us to provide maths instruction in a way that is inclusive of all learners and advances equity in STEM fields.

The same opportunities for success should be afforded to underrepresented students, first-generation college students, Pell grant recipients, women, and athletes as to everyone else.

The Driving Change initiative provides funding to organisations that are bringing about sustainable change to improve STEM education for students from all backgrounds. Over half of new students at Rice University, a research-heavy university, seek degrees in STEM fields.

Professor of biosciences Janet Braam, associate dean for strategic initiatives at the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, and grant principal investigator, stated, “We want to teach our courses in a way that they are accessible to everyone.”

“We wish for everyone’s success. Every Rice student who wants to major in STEM can, in our opinion, succeed in that field. Our job as educators is to facilitate their success.

Among many other projects, this year’s recipients are honoured by HHMI for creating innovative department-based equity action plans, living-learning communities, holistic advising programmes, and civic engagement initiatives.

Rice is one of six recipients of the 2023 Driving Change award. In addition to being part of the Driving Change Learning Community, which consists of 38 institutions, the recipients of the Driving Change grant collaborate to foster inclusive environments, encourage student success, and identify institutional practises that hinder inclusivity.

Every recipient adopts a thorough strategy for changing culture that consists of these three interconnected components:

• Involvement in the meetings, seminars, and workshops of the Driving Change Learning Community.
• Institution-centered initiatives that enhance the environment, rules, or procedures to make the university’s STEM classroom more inclusive.
• Programmes that put the needs of the students first, colleges that value and commit to their students’ success, and teachers who take ownership of each student’s academic progress.

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