A professor who inspires students and shows a genuine concern for them certainly brings the Hopkins community a little closer together.
Biology Professor Victor Corces at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Hopkins has recently been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor.
The honor includes a $1 million grant to fund unique approaches to promote undergraduate study in the sciences. This honor was given to only 20 research scientists at 18 universities across the nation, and Corces was one of them.
The scientists were selected on the basis of their innovative research, as well as for their dedication to and creativity in teaching.
Corces plans to spearhead a program called Research Internship and Science Education (RISE), which aims to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds studying biology.
Under the patronage of this program, capable and talented students from Baltimore City public schools will work in Corces' lab, full-time in the summer and part-time during the school year. Graduate and post-doctoral fellows from Hopkins will supervise these students and help them develop projects that are directly related to Corces' research.
Corces offers encouragement and guidance to students who have the potential to have successful careers in science. Through this program, students unaware of their potential are able to realize what they can do with their lives. Such an opportunity often seems impossible for students who don't have the financial or social means.
The eventual goal of the program is to motivate five high school seniors to apply to the Baltimore Scholars Program each year. The program offers full four-year scholarships to Baltimore City public school graduates who obtain admission to the University.
The Howard Hughes program began in 2002 and has been aptly nicknamed the "million-dollar professor" program. In addition to the 20 new professors added this year, the Howard Hughes program will award smaller renewal grants to eight previous honorees to help them sustain programs that have been implemented and met with success.
Corces says, "There are many intellectually gifted students out there, but they lack the kind of mentoring and role models that could really make a difference. In addition, they don't always know what careers are available in the sciences. Students need the inspiration of tangible career goals to pursue biomedical research when they reach college."
Other recipients of this honor come from prestigious universities around the nation, including Duke University, Howard University, Yale University, Tufts University and Rice University, among others.
Such a prestigious honor seems to have been awarded to a very deserving candidate who shows genuine dedication to teaching and improving the Baltimore community.
Only positive things can come from Corces' innovative new program. Educating and unveiling a positive future to deserving, underprivileged students who may not be aware of their potential will serve to strengthen both the Hopkins and Baltimore communities.
