GVSU receives $1.98 million grant to build pathways for students to earn engineering degrees

Grand Valley will help meet a critical workforce need after receiving a five-year, $1.98 million grant from the National Science Foundation to remove financial barriers and create academic support systems for students to earn engineering degrees.

Over the course of the grant, 24 students who are academically talented and demonstrate financial need will receive scholarships averaging $15,000 per year for up to five years. The grant begins in January with recruitment of students who will start in the Fall 2026 semester.

Once admitted into the program, students will attend a four-week residential bridge camp next summer and engage in a year-long, faculty-led program that includes collaborative technical projects and professional development workshops. 

Adebayo Ogundipe, dean of the Padnos College of Engineering, said the grant will provide students with financial, academic and social support throughout their degree program.

"This grant will allow high-achieving students who might have thought an engineering degree was out of their reach to step into a career in which they will have an immediate impact on their communities," Ogundipe said. "I applaud the faculty members behind this grant for their work and for developing support and resources for these students."

In 2020, grant team members Sanjivan Manoharan and Shabbir Choudhuri secured a National Science Foundation award that supports students pursuing a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering. “Building on the lessons from that initiative, we incorporated additional evidence-based support structures to broaden recruitment,” said Manoharan, associate professor of mechanical engineering. 

Nicholas Baine, associate professor of electrical engineering, helped with the grant application, bringing his extensive experience leading GVSU’s first-year engineering program, coordinating curriculum improvements and providing academic support to make engineering more accessible. The grant team also includes Tim Born, associate dean.

Manoharan said the college's outreach programs, such as FIRST Robotics and Science Olympiad, and collaboration with campus offices like the Regional Math and Science Center will aid student recruitment.  

Choudhuri, professor of product design and manufacturing engineering, said grant funds will enable the team to hire a camp coordinator and student tutors for the summer bridge program. Another planned resource is a group for student family members and supporters, which Choudhuri hopes will help students find a sense of belonging and self-efficacy.

"We're using the adage, 'It takes a village,'" Choudhuri said. "We will invite family and campus community volunteers who are interested in seeing these students succeed to participate."