Howard University, the historically Black educational institution in Washington, D.C., will be participating in the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology (CRESST). The CRESST project is led by the University of Maryland, College Park and includes Catholic University of America, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the Southeastern Universities Research Association. The CRESST project began in 2006 and has now been continued with a five-year, $87.5 million grant from the National Aeronautics & Space Administration. Howard University will receive approximately $875,000 annually as a member of the consortium.
One of the goals of the CRESST program is to increase the number of women and scholars from underrepresented groups in space science research by providing research opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students.
Marcus Alfred, associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy at Howard University and director of the CRESST research at Howard University, stated that “as a research partner in CRESST II we have a fantastic opportunity to increase the numbers of African American undergraduate and graduate students studying astrophysics, planetary science, and cosmology. In general, many more Howard STEM faculty, post docs, and students will work on missions and do research at NASA than in the past.”
