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.
Duke University received two grants totaling $3.7 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop strategies for wide-scale screening for cervical cancer in East Africa. About 75 percent of cervical cancer cases occur in Africa.
Historically Black Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, received a $278,086 grant from the National Science Foundation to formulate a career development program for undergraduate students in STEM fields. The grant program will be under the direction of Lawrence Flowers, an associate professor and chair of the biology department at the college.
Emory University in Atlanta received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to examine the neurobehavioral and cognitive effects of maternal stress on the microbiome of African American infants.
Three historically Black universities are participating in a $3.6 million grant program administered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) will create Aerospace Academies to encourage K-12 students to enter fields that correspond with NASA’s mission. Participating HBCUs are Morgan State University in Baltimore, Tennessee State University in Nashville, and Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.
Toyota has pledged $750,000 to Rainbow PUSH Excel to fund scholarships for engineering and business students. The Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Fellowships will be given to students to help fund their final three years of college. In addition, fellows will be offered internships and mentors.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a historically Black educational institution, received a $281,488 grant from the National Science Foundation to create a dedicated research network that will allow the university to transfer large volumes of scientific data between research laboratories without disrupting the current technology infrastructure on campus.
The United Negro College Fund received a three-year, $1,120,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation to help fund the continuation of the Institute for Capacity Building. The institute was founded in 2006 with $8 million in seed funding from the Kresge Foundation. The new grant will allow the UNCF to provide technical assistance to 12 of its 37 member institutions.
Historically Black Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina, received a five-year, $1,554,050 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for tutoring and academic advisement services aimed at increasing student retention and graduation rates.
Norfolk State University, the historically Black educational institution in Virginia, received a five-year, $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support students in its pre-service teacher education programs. The grant program is under the direction of Leon Rouson, an associate professor of education at the university. Dr. Rouson earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from North Carolina Central University in Durham and a Ph.D. from Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
Historically Black Tuskegee University in Alabama is receiving $400,000 as part of multi-university grant program from the National Science Foundation to establish the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. The funds provided to Tuskegee will be used to support research and travel for the university’s students and faculty involved in the project.
Grambling State University, the historically Black educational institution in Louisiana, received a $99,000 grant from U.S. Department of Education to upgrade the technology used by the university’s police department. The grant will fund the purchase of computers, body cameras, tasers, and an electronic ticketing system for parking violators.
