# High School Research Initiative Expansion Project

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2022 · $268,904

## Abstract

High School Research Initiative Expansion Project Summary/Abstract
Rural students and teachers are far from universities, have fewer resources, and most students are not attending
college. The vast state of Texas includes more schools in rural areas than any other state (i.e., 36% schools in rural, [4]),
and these rural Texans have low enrollment into higher education (i.e., 29%, [5]). Further, the Texas population is almost
40% Hispanic, and 14.9% of the state population is at or below the poverty le vel [1], both groups underrepresentedin
STEM. In a geographically expansive area that amounts to the area of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and
North Carolina combined [2], Texas has its unique challenges in STEM education and enrollment into college.
Now, during the public health crisis that has sparked a desire to be involved, and when teachers and students demand
action, it is the time to reach this audience. The University of Texas at Austin High School Research Initiative (HRI)
Expansion Project seeks to enhance educational science resources, teacher training, and a community of higher ed and
high school educators to promote a diverse workforce to meet the growing health science needs of the country.
The HRI Expansion Project seeks to address this need by broadening the audience and reach of the original program,
leveraging the infrastructure of the HRI, including the HRI partnerships with more than ten regional high schools and
partnerships with two nationally recognized models for STEM education: The Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) and
UTeach. FRI is an ambitious program that involves 1000+ freshmen and sophomores participating in authentic research
experiences while receiving course credit. UTeach prepares pre -service and in-service STEM teachers; the UTeach
Professional Development program has a proven track record of recruiting rural teachers for training opportunities [13].
The HRI Extension Project will apply effective practices to new programming designed to address the specific challenges
faced in STEM education in rural Texas and encourage more rural students to pursue higher education and careers in
health sciences. In all, the HRI Expansion Project will (1) develop and disseminate inquiry-driven science modules, which
translate R1 University research, to rural high schools in the state of Texas (≥300 students/yr; 7 modules over 5 yrs), (2)
develop a robust yearlong professional development organization for high school teachers (≥ 15 teachers/yr), which
includes a 4-week remote professional training steeped with content (e.g. statistics, molecular biology, etc.) and
ongoing, yearlong supportive activities (e.g. monthly meetings, newsletter guidance, etc.), (3) develop a network of UT
faculty scientists, undergraduate mentors, and high school teachers to support science instruction and share firsthand
perspectives of their research and life as a scientist with partnered rural classrooms, and (4) determine the impact of...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10450409
- **Project number:** 1R25GM142078-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Gwendolyn M Stovall
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $268,904
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-05-10 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10450409

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10450409, High School Research Initiative Expansion Project (1R25GM142078-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10450409. Licensed CC0.

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