Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
The University of Minnesota received a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation for programs to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who pursue degree programs in STEM fields. The grant program is under the direction of Katrice Albert, vice president for equity and diversity at the university. Dr. Albert graduated magna cum laude from Xavier University of Louisiana, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi and a doctorate in counseling psychology from Auburn University in Alabama.
Auburn University in Alabama, received a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation for programs to increase the racial diversity of students in STEM disciplines. The goal of the program is to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who go on to careers in STEM fields in the Black Belt region of Alabama. The project is under the direction of Overtoun Jenda, assistant provost for special projects and a professor of mathematics and statistics at the university.
Historically Black Florida A&M University and the Florida A&M and Florida State College of Engineering received a five-year, $4.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support research in the fields of additive manufacturing, materials development, and micrometer-scale manufacturing. At the core of this research will be research in 3-D printing technology.
Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, received a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health for a program to determine if a couples-centered intervention can help reduce mother to child transmission of HIV in the African nation of Mozambique. A 2015 study found that 8 percent of pregnant women in Mozambique were HIV positive.
Tuskegee University, the historically Black educational institution in Alabama, received a five-year, $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation for programs to increase the number of students pursuing degrees in materials science engineering.
Historically Black Kentucky State University received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for programs to reduce violence among youths from disadvantaged groups in Franklin County, Kentucky. The grant program is under the direction of Herman Watson, professor of child development and family relations at Kentucky State.
