Congressman Neguse Announces Grant Renewal of $5 Million to Fund Lab Research Program

Press Release

Today, Congressman Neguse announced that a NIST-wide Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) in Boulder will receive a $5 million funding renewal in the fiscal year 2020.

"Federal research at NIST and federal labs across our district are essential for scientific progress and ingenuity," said Congressman Joe Neguse. "I am confident that PREP will continue to encourage more students to pursue research careers and offer opportunities for expanded learning and development for scientists at NIST."

"This program provides incredible experiential learning opportunities for our students," said John Cumalat, chair of the highly ranked physics department at CU Boulder. "Twenty-five of our students presently have advisors at NIST as part of the PREP program. Over the past couple years, the program has also strengthened the collaboration between NIST scientists and our faculty."

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics.

The University of Colorado in Boulder is one of the participating PREP Universities, with Professors John Cumulat and Paul Beale serving as co-PI's of the program in Colorado's 2nd District.

Created by NIST Boulder in 1991, PREP is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students. Fellowships are awarded to assure continued growth and progress of science and engineering in the United States.

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