Grants and Gifts

The University of Kansas received a five-year, $600,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute for a study to investigate the role of the African-American church in communicating information to parishioners on colorectal cancer screening.

The research is under the director of Crystal Y. Lumpkins, an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Kansas. She holds bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Missouri and earned a master’s degree at Webster University.

Historically black Winston-Salem State University, in conjunction with Virginia Tech, received a three-year, $375,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense for a project entitled “Algebraic Models of Complex Biological Networks: From Structure to Dynamics.” The grant will allow students at Winston-Salem State University to become involved in cutting-edge research on the intersection of mathematics and the life sciences.

The research project is under the direction of John Adeyeye, chair of the department of mathematics at Winston-Salem State University.

Virginia State University received a $342,795 grant from the National Science Foundation for a project entitled “Improving Minority Student Mathematics Performance and Persistence in STEM Majors Through Cognitive Training.” The program seeks to identify teaching methods that will produce greater number of middle and high school students who want to pursue degree programs in STEM fields.

Historically black Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina received a three-year, $282,957 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to strengthen the university’s educational programs in STEM fields. The university will use the money to fund faculty workshops that will develop curriculum in these fields.

Wilberforce University, the historically black educational institution in Ohio, received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to upgrade classroom technology and to fund the University Online Course Initiative. The university also received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Army for research on alloys for energy absorbing applications.