Howard Hughes Medical Institute

SCIENCE EDUCATION, FELLOWSHIPS, AND MEDIA PROGRAMS (A) CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE LEADERSHIP & CULTURE (B) TANGLED BANK STUDIOS (C) HANNA H. GRAY FELLOWS PROGRAM (D) ELIFE OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL Through its Science Education, Fellowships, and Media Program initiatives, HHMI invests in individuals, institutions, initiatives, and media that advance learning. HHMI also nourishes the public understanding of science by bringing important stories of scientific discovery to a wide variety of audiences. (A) Center for the Advancement of Science Leadership & Culture HHMI's Center for the Advancement of Science Leadership & Culture ("the Center") plays a key role in HHMI's efforts to center inclusion in science research and education across key academic career stages. The Center serves as a facilitator, convener, strategic partner, and source of expertise to advance HHMI's goals for the scientific workforce. HHMI's Inclusive Excellence (IE) initiative aims to support colleges and universities in increasing their capacity for inclusion in science of all students, especially those students who come to college via non-traditional pathways. In November 2022, HHMI announced six-year grants to 104 institutions as part of the third round of the initiative. The colleges and universities are organized into Learning Community Clusters (LCC). The LCCs focus on improving introductory science courses, evaluation of effective and inclusive teaching, and partnerships between 2- and 4-year institutions so that their students can thrive. HHMI's Driving Change initiative continued support for 12 grantee institutions that are developing and implementing: (i) institution-centered activities aimed at creating a more inclusive STEM learning environment for all students; and (ii) student-centered activities that enable all students to succeed while encouraging university faculty to value and assume responsibility for student success. In FY24, the Science Education Alliance (SEA) program admitted faculty from fifteen colleges and universities into its community of hundreds of faculty who adopt and implement SEA-PHAGES, a two-semester course-based research experience designed to replace the traditional introductory biology lab sequence in the undergraduate curriculum. HHMI's Gilliam Fellows Program supports biomedical PhD students and their dissertation advisors who are committed to advancing equity and inclusion and engaging their communities in science. In FY24, HHMI made 50 new awards, with 10 institutions receiving their first Gilliam award. HHMI BioInteractive, a resource for general high school biology, AP/IB biology, and college-level introductory biology teachers, has been in existence for over two decades and now receives over three million visitors annually through its website, BioInteractive.org. BioInteractive's science education resources include interactive multimedia materials, scientific animations, videos, in-class activities, as well as award-winning, broadcast-quality short films. All BioInteractive resources are made available to educators online, through the BioInteractive.org website and YouTube channel, and at workshops, conferences, and conventions. In 2024 the BioInteractive team offered 20 online educator professional development workshops and over 50 in-person workshops and similar events at conferences, school districts and schools throughout the US. (B) Tangled Bank Studios Tangled Bank Studios, LLC, is a mission-driven film studio. As an extension of HHMI's longstanding science education and public engagement mission, the studio aims to produce content and programs that capture compelling stories of discovery across all branches of scientific inquiry, with particular focus on the life sciences. Together with world-class partners, the studio creates innovative outreach initiatives to amplify the reach and deepen the impact around each project. Achievements this year include 5 GSCA Awards for Blue Whales: Return of the Giants, an Emmy nomination and an AAAS Kavli Gold Science Journalism award for Battle to Beat Malaria, and several top film festival awards for Wilding, Turtle Walker, The Calling, Every Little Thing, and Hunt for the Oldest DNA. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT TANGLED BANK FILMS IS AVAILABLE AT HTTPS://WWW.TANGLEDBANKSTUDIOS.ORG/OUR-FILMS. (C) Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program Since 2017, HHMI has held regular open competitions to recruit and retain outstanding early-career scientists. Each fellow receives funding for up to eight years, with mentoring and active involvement within the HHMI community. In this two-phase program, fellows are supported from early postdoctoral training through several years of a tenure-track faculty position. Through the 2024 fiscal year, HHMI has selected 116 fellows to support, and will invest a total of up to $197 million for their support over eight years. (D) eLife Open Access Journal HHMI, together with Wellcome, the Max Planck Society, and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, continues to support a top tier scientific journal called eLife, which is operated by eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd., a separately organized non-profit entity. The online journal follows an open access model and is led by practicing scientists.