Here is this week’s news of grants to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
The University of Texas at Austin received a four-year, $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that will fund programs aimed at increasing the number of students from underrepresented minority groups who prepare for careers in the academic world.
The University of Tennessee received a grant from the National Science Foundation for a study by Derek Alderman, chair of the department of geography, to assess how slavery is portrayed at southern historical sites, such as plantations. Professor Alderman says that “the sites traditionally remained silent about the lives and struggles of the enslaved community. But recent evidence indicates they are increasingly bringing the struggles front and center.” As part of the grant project, Professor Alderman and his team will visit plantation sites in four states and present their findings on an interactive website.
Historically Black Alcorn State University in Mississippi received a $386,187 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant will fund the development of a three-dimensional, near-infrared imaging technology to detect bruised fruit.
