EvCC’s Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) receives National Science Foundation grant
Release Date: Aug. 29, 2018
Contact: Ardi Kveven, ORCA Executive Director, 425-267-0156; akveven@everettcc.edu
ORCA National Science Foundation 2018 grant participants.
EVERETT, Wash. – Everett Community College’s Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) is receiving a $333,688 grant from the National Science Foundation to increase the number of college students studying geoscience.
The three-year grant funds summer scientific research opportunities for ORCA students, tuition for summer college classes, travel to scientific conferences and a $1,500 stipend for students who complete the summer program.
ORCA is an early college academy for high school students, who can earn up to two years of college credit while completing their high school education. Most students graduate with an associate’s degree in addition to a high school diploma.
This is ORCA’s fourth NSF grant, representing an investment of nearly $1 million dollars for the program since 2009. Grants include funding for the ORCA research lab, research boat and collaborative research as part of the Community College Undergraduate Research Experience.
“To have such committed support by NSF for the innovative work we do at ORCA is a tremendous honor,” said Ardi Kveven, ORCA founder and executive director. “The philosophy at ORCA is that students are capable of high-caliber research, which requires dedicated time, commitment and relationship support.”
Students are eligible for the geoscience grant funding after their first year of the ORCA program.
This summer, 11 ORCA students are helping analyze the data from the Washington State Department of Ecology water quality probes. Gravity Marine Consulting built the infrastructure to transmit the data online.
The University of Washington analyzes additional water samples and the Port of Everett supports the deployment of these probes by providing dock access to the students and equipment. View real-time data here: https://wqdatalive.com/public/609
“By engaging students in the summer with our collaborators and project team, students have opportunities to explore where they live, and how it could be a career pathway,” Kveven said.
While the ocean provides the framework for the research initiatives at ORCA, students earn transferable credit (tuition free) in all core disciplines. Nationally recognized for the student research, ORCA offers an opportunity for students interested in all fields.
While 66 percent of ORCA graduates transferred to and graduated from four-year universities with a STEM degree, less than 10 percent earned oceanography degrees, Kveven said.
Link to NSF abstract: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1801658