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 Center for Drug Research and Development at historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C., received a three-year, $1,132,500 grant from the National Cancer Institute to conduct research on an innovative new treatment for breast cancer using nanotechnology. Dr. Emmanuel O. Akala, professor of pharmaceutics at Howard University’s College of Pharmacy is leading the research. He is a graduate of the University of Ife in Nigeria and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester in England.
Historically Black Hampton University in Virgina received a grant of $500,000 from 21st Century Fox Corporation to support the university’s Center for Innovation in Digital Media. The money will be used to create research, internship, and career opportunities for Black students in digital media. The grant is contingent upon the university raising $500,000 in matching funds.
Kentucky State University, the historically Black educational institution in Frankfort, received a two-year, $400,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to fund the university’s Minority Male Maker program. The program is designed to increase the number of Black men who pursue degrees in STEM disciplines.
Historically Black Savannah State University in Georgia, received a $292,340 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for student support services such as tutoring, counseling, and academic advising.
Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, received a $3,780,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to support program aimed at increasing the number of Black and other minority students who pursue degrees in STEM fields. The program targets academically talented minority students in middle schools who spend six weeks on the SMU campus in the summer studying a rigorous science curriculum. The program is under the direction of Moses Williams, a research professor at SMU, who developed the program in 1990 when he was at Temple University in Philadelphia. Dr. Williams holds a Ph.D. in physical and biological anthropology from Southern Methodist University. The video below provides more information on the STEMPREP program.
