RELEASE: Congresswoman Friedman Announces Glendale Community College Receiving $600,000 in Federal Education Investments

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, July 31, 2025, U.S. Congresswoman Laura Friedman (CA-30) announced that Glendale Community College is receiving a $599,739 federal investment from the National Science Foundation IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC) Program. The grant will help build a pioneering Virtual Reality (VR) Research Lab and curricular enhancement initiative aimed at increasing interest, participation, and success in STEM fields among community college students.

“I’m excited for Glendale Community College, and thankful for the National Science Foundation’s investment in one of their programs. I’ll keep fighting to bring more federal investments like this one back to GCC and California to ensure our state continues leading in science and innovation. Employers and students alike are calling for more STEM education, and this investment will help answer those calls. I’m excited to see this investment become a reality,” said Representative Laura Friedman (CA-30).

Glendale Community College is a public community college that serves more than 16,000 students from Glendale and beyond. The nearly $600,000 award supports a multi-pronged strategy to integrate virtual reality technology across STEM curricula. Key activities include the creation of a student/faculty-led VR Research Lab, development of a student-run VR consultancy, and implementation of work-based learning experiences aligned with regional workforce demands. The program also emphasizes interdisciplinary faculty training to develop immersive VR instructional content across biology, engineering, physics, and more.

More information about the award can be found here.

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