Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Historically Black Savannah State University was recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation that will support graduate and undergraduate research to help determine the quantities and movement patterns of microplastics within and traversing between the main coastal Georgia river systems and Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary. The three-year grant will provide vital research opportunities for four SSU undergraduate students per year and two SSU graduate students during the grant period. Students will be directly involved in all aspects of the project, including the development and testing of the shallow-water system, monitoring water movement using static and drifting monitors, and collecting sediment and water samples. The team will also conduct sample analyses for the amount of plastic in the water, sediment, and animal samples.
Rice University in Houston received a five-year, $1,038,544 grant from the National Institutes of Health to support the Cancer Health Activism Network for Greater Equity (CHANGE) project in bringing together cutting-edge cancer research with insight on race-based healthcare disparities from the social sciences in a series of transformative high school biology lessons. In addition to lab work, the first three years of the program will bring together high school science teachers from Houston-area schools with relatively large Black student populations for a series of workshops where participants will work on developing and refining a portfolio of lessons meant to encourage and motivate students to pursue STEM education and career paths.
Hampton University, the historically Black educational institution in Virginia, received a five-year, $1,487,995 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support the university’s Upward Bound program that aims to develop and carry out community-based services for students in overcoming economic obstacles to obtaining a college degree.
Historically Black Fayetteville State University in North Carolina received a $600,000 grant from Kenan Charitable Trust to broaden arts education for students on campus. Funds will also be allocated to music and arts programs in Cumberland County Schools and to performances and exhibits at the university.
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, a historically Black educational institution in Los Angeles. has been awarded a $2 million multiyear grant from The California Wellness Foundation. The grant will include $1.3 million dedicated to supporting students in the university’s new medical doctorate program. This allocation will provide $15,000 annually for four years to 20 students. The remainder will be used for staff and operational support as well as marketing programs for the new medical doctorate program.
