Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence Initiative at Trinity
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the largest private, nonprofit supporter of science education in the United States, selected Trinity Washington University in June 2017 to receive a $1 million grant to increase the retention and success of students of color from low-income areas and first-generation students pursuing science majors.
At the time of the award, in 2017, Trinity was one of only 24 schools, and the only women’s college, selected in the first round of HHMI’s Inclusive Excellence initiative, a new program that aims to increase the capacity of colleges and universities to effectively engage all students so they can be successful in science, especially undergraduates who enter four-year institutions via nontraditional pathways. Additional institutions have been awarded grants and as of spring 2020, there are 57 HHMI Inclusive Excellence institutions across the country.
“Trinity is deeply honored to be selected by the very prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute to increase the success of students of color in the sciences,” said President Patricia McGuire. “Trinity is one of the nation’s historic women’s colleges and our commitment to encouraging students to succeed in science goes back to our founding in 1897. With this new project, Trinity’s science faculty have created an exemplary initiative that builds on their remarkable commitment to our students and to mentoring and supporting students of color to excel in science.”
The Core of the Program
Trinity’s ExCEL (Undergraduate Experience x Confidence Equals Leadership) program is designed to empower students of color to successfully navigate challenging STEM fields. STEM fields can be rigorous but ExCEL provides all of the tools to help students succeed by providing mentorship, ample research experience, and a flexible curriculum through the U ExCEL (Undergraduate) portion of the program. However, the program does not stop there. ExCEL also addresses and encourages the growth and development of its faculty through continual training to fully engage the capacity of each and every student. This training is done through the I ExCEL (Instructor) program.
U ExCEL
Undergraduate Support and Development
Trinity’s U ExCEL (Undergraduate Experience x Confidence Equals Leadership), is designed to increase the retention and success of students of color from low-income areas, and first-generation students entering science majors by improving student confidence, sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and well-being through a mentored program including experiential learning opportunities. Read about some of our student achievements under the U Excel program.
Mentor Moments
Mentors Moments is a series of classes that are taken concurrently with the undergraduate curriculum. Each class focuses on specific topics to help students succeed in their undergraduate careers and beyond. Large group meetings including all science students to create common experiences such as STEM career and alumnae panels. Also, small groups of students from each academic year and a faculty member form a mentor stream for peer mentorship and community.
Mentor Moments 1: Students learn to set personal goals and establish a sense of belonging.
Mentor Moments 2: Students explore varied career paths and build effective study skills.
Mentor Moments 3: Students focus on strategies for obtaining research experience in desired fields.
Mentor Moments 4: Students learn to network and career development skills.
Experiential Learning
Students must complete an internship as part of their Experiential Learning Experience (ELO). The experience students choose for ELO is based on the student’s career goals. Not only will students gain experience in their desired field, but the ELO will count as a class credit, helping them get one step closer to graduation.
Student Achievements Under HHMI Inclusive Excellence and Trinity ExCEL
Barachel Butler ’22 won first prize in the 2021 NASA D.C. Space Grant Consortium’s Student STEM Research Poster Presentation Competition. Under the guidance of molecular biologist Dr. Karobi Moitra, Butler used predictive modeling software to conduct her research project, “Annotation and Homology Modeling of the Multidrug Transport Protein P-glycoprotein (ABCB1) of Equus Caballus.”
Two Trinity NASA Scholars received honorable mention awards for their poster presentations at the same STEM Research symposium. Brandi Nelson ’21, a biology major, presented her research, “Microbiomes of the Human Hand,” working with her faculty mentor, biologist Dr. Cynthia DeBoy. Jaylan Pratt ’20, a forensic science major, who graduated in December 2020, worked with her faculty mentor, chemist Dr. Anette Casiano-Negroni, to conduct her research, “Effects of Formaldehyde-based Embalming Fluids on the Chemical Composition of Drugs.”
Corryn Hicks ’21, a biology major, won a poster award in chemistry at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) for her project entitled “CURE Plan: Study of Endocrine Disrupting and Asthma Associated Chemicals Found in Natural Hair Care Products.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Shizuka Hsieh, chemistry.
Yasmin del Carmen Marcia ’23, also a biology major, won a poster award in social and behavioral sciences and public health for her project entitled “The Relationship Between Dominance Rank, Infanticide Risk, and Maternal Social Strategies in Wild Chimpanzees.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Kaitlin Wellens, Clare Boothe Luce Professor of Biology.
I ExCEL
Faculty Development and Growth
The Instructor ExCEL (Undergraduate Experience x Confidence Equals Leadership) program offers varied training so faculty can skillfully tap into the potential of all students.
Continual Training for Faculty
- Provide support to first-year students in order to have a seamless transition into college
- Flexible learning environments that accommodate individual learning differences
- Skills in intercultural communication to promote culturally competent teaching to better engage a diverse classroom
- Integration of problem-based learning to implement a student-centered teaching approach
- Encouraging undergraduate research by providing mentorship and support to students
Clare Boothe Luce Program at Trinity
The Clare Boothe Luce Program was established with a bequest from Clare Boothe Luce, a renowned figure in journalism, politics, diplomacy, foreign affairs and philanthropy. She was a playwright, journalist, U.S. Ambassador to Italy, and the first woman elected to Congress from Connecticut.
The Clare Boothe Luce Program awarded its first grants in 1989 and is dedicated to increasing participation in the sciences, mathematics and engineering at every level of higher education across the country. The program also serves as a catalyst for colleges and universities to be proactive in their own efforts toward this goal. In her bequest establishing this program, Ambassador Luce sought “to encourage women to enter, study, graduate, and teach” in fields where there have been various obstacles, professional and personal, to their advancement.
Trinity Washington University is proud and honored to be one of thirteen colleges and universities specifically named in Ambassador Luce’s bequest to receive annual grants from the Clare Boothe Luce Program in perpetuity, to support professorships and scholarships for talented students in the sciences and mathematics.
In addition to Trinity, the institutions specifically designated in Ambassador Luce’s bequest are: Boston University, Colby College, Creighton University, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Marymount University, Mount Holyoke College, St. John’s University, Santa Clara University and Seton Hall University.
The Clare Boothe Luce Program is administered by the Henry R. Luce Foundation.
