Serving as PI on a STEM initiative funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), I help to foster 1st- and 2nd-year students’ engagement, learning, and persistence in STEM fields. This initiative is specially designed to increase the diversity of students pursuing STEM majors at Yale. It funds five academic programs including the Foundations Biology sequence (BIOL 101-104), Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), Summer Research for All, Freshmen Scholars at Yale (FSY), and Math 110/111 (a calculus bridge class). More information about the HHMI Campus Grant can found be here: https://stem-perl.yale.edu/hhmi-campus-grant. Find a list of currently available HHMI-sponsored CURE courses here: https://stem-perl.yale.edu/cure-courses