Howard University in Washington is sending 32 students abroad this summer to conduct research projects with the support of a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Global Education, Awareness, and Research Undergraduate Program (GEAR-UP). This summer Howard students will be conducting research in Romania, Turkey, Mexico, Chile, Ethiopia, Thailand, South Africa, and Tanzania.
Among the projects the students will be involved in are cybersecurity in Chile, earthquake engineering in Mexico, and biofuels production in Ethiopia.
Lorraine N. Fleming, the GEAR-UP director and a professor of civil engineering at Howard, stated, “National statistics suggest that very few African Americans have the opportunity to travel abroad to study or do research. Our mission at Howard is to produce leaders for America and the global community. GEAR-UP is doing just that by allowing students a first-hand opportunity to practice as engineers and scientists in a global setting.”
Dr. Fleming is a graduate of Howard University. She earned a master’s degree at George Washington University and a Ph.D. in civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
