Bellevue College has been awarded a $550,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund the next phase of a project that is changing the way biology is taught at community colleges.

By immersing students in the actual practice of scientific research, the project expects to boost the number of students who pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors and careers.

The effort is based on BC’s Community College Genomics Research Initiative where students now perform original research by sequencing the genome of a bacterium that fights a wheat fungus.

For more information, go to bellevuecollege.edu.