Mercer Times

TCNJ President Michael Bernstein has joined 19 other New Jersey college and university leaders in signing a letter addressed to the New Jersey Congressional Delegation. The letter urges support for increased funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2025.

The letter emphasizes the critical role of NSF, stating that it is "the cornerstone of America’s scientific enterprise and the only federal agency charged with the promotion of scientific progress across all science and engineering disciplines." It highlights that NSF-funded research through its peer review process supports U.S. scientific leadership, competitiveness, and economic growth by transforming novel ideas into discoveries and enterprises. Additionally, NSF's backing for students at various educational levels contributes to building a strong STEM workforce.

Sunita Kramer, dean of TCNJ’s School of Science, noted New Jersey's status as an innovation hub with significant STEM industry growth over the past decade. She remarked, "The NSF, which supports sciences across all disciplines and levels of education, fuels research and creates mechanisms for scientific discovery and workforce development. Additional funding would provide great value to employers and appealing opportunities for students in our state."

TCNJ has been a recipient of several NSF grants recently. In April, three seniors from TCNJ were recognized by the NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. In October 2023, TCNJ received two significant grants from NSF: a $935,000 Major Research Instrumentation grant aimed at enhancing undergraduate student research by upgrading the high-performance computing center; and a $400,000 grant to boost innovation partnerships with industry through NSF’s Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity program.

Kramer further stated that "Colleges and universities in the state are teaching and training the next generation of scientists," adding that continued support from NSF would help maintain a strong pipeline of students who contribute to New Jersey's economic growth.