The Pew Charitable Trusts has awarded Cornell $2 million over four years to support a research scholarship program for undergraduates. The grant also will support universitywide interdisciplinary research and educational initiatives.

"The Pew Charitable Trusts has given Cornell a great vote of confidence by investing in undergraduate education and in key interdisciplinary areas important to the science and culture of our world," said Cornell President David J. Skorton. "The Pew grant is a wonderful affirmation of Cornell's priorities."

From the grant, $1 million will go to supporting the Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars (CPRS) program, which provides top undergraduates with significant research support over four years. Students collaborate with a faculty member of their choice to design and plan individualized research. Since 1996, when the program began, 544 students and 325 faculty members have participated in CPRS. The program's success has made it an important recruiting tool for high-achieving students.

The grant allots a further $1 million to universitywide interdisciplinary research and educational initiatives in sustainable development, digital information and the new life sciences. Among other things, the grant will pay for teaching assistants for a large new undergraduate course on worldwide sustainability, called State of the Planet, and for Cornell's participation in the U.S. Department of Energy's International Solar Decathlon competition to build energy-efficient housing. Cornell's student team took second place in the competition when it was last held in 2005.

The grant also will enable Cornell to develop a library of genomics-related case studies, which will be shared with scholars at other institutions. The VIVO database of life sciences information will be extended to showcase the work of Cornell faculty in engineering, the social and physical sciences, and the humanities. Five teaching assistants will be hired, and two faculty coordinators will receive release time to lead faculty workshops on interdisciplinary curriculum development and research projects in sustainable development.

The Pew Charitable Trusts, which serves the public interest by providing information, advancing policy solutions and supporting civic life, will make awards totaling $248 million in fiscal year 2007.