SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Sept. 2, 2025—Lawrence Technological University has been awarded a $1,998,226 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NSF S-STEM) program for a new initiative, I-CAAN: Fostering Confidence, Academic Achievement, and Networking to Strengthen the STEM Workforce.
Focusing on critical national needs, the award provides $1.44 million in direct scholarship funding to support academically promising, economically disadvantaged students in pursuing and completing degrees in STEM fields. Eligible I-CAAN scholars must be domestic students starting at LTU in the fall 2026 or fall 2027 semesters and enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, or computer science.
Remaining funds will be used to develop strategies to improve student retention, student success, and degree completion. At LTU, these strategies will include a summer bridge program, faculty mentoring program, “My STEM Story” seminar series, and an annual STEM career panel and alumni networking event.
Shannon Timmons, the grant’s principal investigator and professor of chemistry and chair of LTU’s Department of Natural Sciences, is excited to receive the grant. “Beyond providing substantial scholarships, this grant will strengthen LTU’s student support services and enhance the university’s ability to inspire a diverse community of future STEM professionals,” she said.
Timmons’ co-principal investigators consist of faculty members from LTU’s College of Arts and Sciences, including Aleksandra Kuzmanov, associate professor of biology; Bhujyo Bhattacharya, associate professor of physics; Matthew Johnston, associate professor of mathematics; and Destiny Anyaiwe, associate professor of computer science.
Serving as senior personnel, Steven Wang, assistant professor of media communication, along with Erika Forest, science outreach coordinator, will provide additional support for I-CAAN projects on LTU’s campus.
Together, the I-CAAN leadership team will collaborate with a total of 15 different campus offices with the aim of ensuring robust support and improved outcomes for talented STEM students that demonstrate financial need.
“I wrote this grant as a tribute to my father, a first-generation college student from an economically disadvantaged background,” Timmons said. “Ultimately, this award reaffirms LTU’s commitment to student success and social mobility, while advancing STEM workforce development in Southeast Michigan and beyond.”
Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU, which offers communication training programs of the former Specs Howard School, and LTU’s growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.
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