portsmouth abbey news
Science Department Accepting Research Grant Applications
Students encouraged to pursue independent inquiry through faculty-mentored research grants
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Dr. Stephen Zins, chair of the Science Department. |
The Science Department at Portsmouth Abbey School has announced the launch of this year’s Student Research Grant Program, modeled after the National Science Foundation’s predoctoral fellowship. The program invites students to apply for funding—up to 10 grants of $500 each—to support independent research projects in any area of scientific inquiry.
Led by Dr. Steve Zins, Chair of the Science Department, the initiative is designed to foster curiosity and give students hands-on experience in professional-level research. Students are required to submit a research proposal and work under the guidance of a faculty sponsor.
Interest in the program has surged this year, with record attendance at the recent informational session. Dr. Zins believes that what excites students most is the chance to “do actual independent work in the way that professionals do it.”
He adds that it is “pretty rare to have a program like this available and funded,” noting that the department’s strength lies in its teachers’ real-world experience. “Our science faculty includes professional engineers, lab scientists, and entrepreneurs,” Zins explained. “We’ve run water-quality plants, computer science labs, startups—you name it. That experience allows us not only to support students in developing their ideas, but also to evaluate their projects from a real-world perspective.”
Dr. Zins models the grant process on an actual NSF-funded proposal and guides students through every stage of writing, revision, and review. A former NSF grant recipient himself, he earned his Ph.D. in Pathobiology from Brown University, where his research focused on viral infection and innate immune response.
By offering this unique opportunity, the Science Department continues to deepen its mission of blending intellectual seriousness with boundless curiosity and creativity, preparing Abbey students to think critically and act confidently as emerging scientists and scholars.