Angelo State Secures Record $165K Grant for Chemistry Research

SAN ANGELO, TX - Angelo State University's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has been awarded a three-year, $165,000 grant from the Houston-based Welch Foundation to support student and faculty research in the chemical sciences.

Through the Welch Foundation's Departmental Research Grant Program, ASU will receive $55,000 per year over the next three years. The grant funding will be utilized for multiple initiatives throughout the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, including:

• Quality hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate students
• Student Welch Scholarships
• Faculty research in their respective fields of interest
• Recruiting highly-motivated students
• Attracting additional funding sources for research and equipment

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry also encourages all ASU students majoring in STEM fields to participate in faculty-mentored chemistry and biochemistry research projects to further enhance their resumes and/or applications for graduate or professional schools.

"We also actively encourage and support student travel to regional and/or national meetings so they can present their research results," said Dr. Kyle Beran, department chair. "We recently had two students present their research at a regional conference of the American Chemical Society in Orlando, Florida. These conferences are a nice reward for students who were successful or spent an extended period of time on a research project. They are also an excellent opportunity for students to view research that is being conducted by their peers across the region/nation, to network with potential graduate programs, and to interact with chemistry and biochemistry professionals."

ASU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has a long-standing relationship with the Welch Foundation, which has provided much-needed funding support for new research equipment, materials and supplies, as well as scholarships/stipends for undergraduate students engaged in chemistry and biochemistry research projects.

This $165,000 grant is the largest ASU has ever been awarded from the Welch Foundation. Including this latest grant, ASU has received $849,000 in Welch Foundation departmental research and equipment funding over the last 20 years.