Federal Grant Brings Rainfall Research to Students
Middle school and undergraduate students in the Boston area can take part in hands-on engineering work built around urban flooding data.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Financial Aid
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Boston College's engineering department received a three-year, $328,000 National Science Foundation grant to study hyperlocal rainfall and urban flooding. The program will engage hundreds of middle school and undergraduate students in building low-cost rainfall sensors and collecting data.
Why it matters
The grant funds hands-on engineering experience for students in the Boston area, including middle schoolers who will build their own sensor kits at home. For families and students, it signals growing federal support for research programs that bring STEM opportunities into classrooms and campus labs.
The National Science Foundation awarded Boston College's engineering department a three-year grant totaling $328,000. The program aims to engage hundreds of middle school and undergraduate students across the three-year period.
The players
Boston College
A private Jesuit university in Boston whose engineering department leads the rainfall and flooding research program.
National Science Foundation
The federal agency that funds basic research and STEM education, and provided the $328,000 grant for this project.
New York University
A private research university in New York whose undergraduates will collaborate with Boston College students on the sensor kits.
The details
Undergraduate students at Boston College and New York University will work with middle school educators to design kits suited to students' needs. Each kit includes a low-cost rainfall sensor, mounting materials, and networking components that students assemble together. Students then collect rainfall data, which is sent to an online dashboard. Researchers say rainfall can vary significantly across short distances in urban environments, and measurements from a limited number of monitoring stations may miss conditions in some neighborhoods, which is why the network is designed to capture hyperlocal patterns.
Timeline
- The NSF grant funds the research program over a three-year period.
- The team plans to expand the sensor network to more schools beyond that initial three-year period.
Education Landscape
Federally funded research grants that include student training and K-12 outreach are one way universities expand hands-on learning beyond the classroom. Programs like this one link undergraduate education, research funding, and middle school STEM engagement in a single project.
Students interested in hands-on STEM research may find programs like this one through university engineering departments in the Boston area. Families can ask a school's financial-aid or admissions office whether research-funded opportunities are open to undergraduates or middle school partners.
The takeaway
Federally funded programs like this one can give students hands-on research experience that does not always show up in a tuition bill. Students and parents who want to learn about research opportunities can ask a financial-aid or admissions office what options exist at their school.
Further reading
For context on how research grants and other funding support students, explore Financial Aid in the Boston area.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Heights.
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