LIONS Bridge Program Launches in 2025

Oct. 28, 2024

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – The LIONS Bridge Program is an exciting initiative aimed at increasing diversity in engineering at the University of North Alabama. Thanks to a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, the program will officially launch in Summer 2025.

“The primary objective of the LIONS Bridge Program is to facilitate a supportive platform for incoming engineering and engineering technology students, especially those from historically excluded groups,” said Dr. Ravi Gollapalli, Professor of Engineering Technology and co-organizer for the grant. “The grant supports tutoring, mentoring from peers, faculty, and industry professionals, as well as field trips and community service opportunities. We firmly hope and believe this bridge program will significantly enhance the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in engineering education.”

The two-year program grant is intended to recruit and provide outreach for engineering and engineering technology students; the program is cohort-based and will welcome 10 students each summer. It aligns with the NSF’s goals of the professional formation of engineers by supporting research and fostering a more diverse engineering workforce.

Additional information is available at this link.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.