Dr. Jessica Bell, Biology Faculty, Receives Minnesota State Innovative Partnering and Collaboration Award.

On Friday, November 13, Dr. Jessica Bell, Century College Biology faculty, received the Minnesota State Innovative Partnering and Collaboration Award.  Dr. Bell was recognized for her work involving many academic collaborations and scientific partnerships, designed to improve student academic achievement and promote high standards.  The award recognizes her work with students, which meets the demands of the higher education/workforce marketplace.

Dr. Bell has played an integral role in many strategic partnerships, which benefit the academic experience of students and adds to the knowledge base of various scientific communities.  A few of her many collaborations include:

• Innovative Minds Partnering to Advance Curative Therapies (IMPACT) – a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire/Mayo Clinic collaboration, which provides opportunities for Community College students to participate in primary research, which is then shared with experts at the Mayo Clinic.  Dr. Bell has supervised and guided Century College students in their research for this project.

• Minnesota Academy of Science/Winchell Symposium – Dr. Bell worked directly with the Minnesota Academy of Science to host the Winchell Symposium for the first time at a community college.  The Winchell Symposium prepares undergraduate students to enter STEM fields by providing a forum to showcase their scientific research, receive comments from professional scientists and peers, and network with professionals in STEM fields.

• NSF Award- S-STEM - Dr. Bell was instrumental in submitting a large grant to the National Science Foundation (NSF).  The award is part of a collaboration between Century College, Normandale Community College, Minneapolis College, and led by Augsburg University with a combined budget of $5 million, and will provide scholarships to students, up to $7,500 per year, as well as internships and research experiences over a five-year period starting this academic year in STEM fields.

• North Star STEM Alliance - University of Minnesota Twin Cities (LSAMP-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) program summer research - Dr. Bell designed and implemented summer research on campus (2019) and virtually (2020), available to available to first- and second-year Minnesota undergraduates that are regarded as underrepresented in STEM.

Dr. Bell is committed to teaching scientific literacy to her students so that they can fully understand the increasingly complex role that science plays in a global society. In addition, she is dedicated to helping students from lower-income backgrounds gain access to STEM fields.