The U.S. Department of Energy has announced $37 million in funding for 52 projects at 44 institutions that historically have been unrepresented in grant programs of the department. The program is entitled Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR).
“FAIR is an essential capacity-building initiative that will broaden the impact of the Department of Energy and the Office of Science in tackling critical and pressing scientific questions and challenges,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “To reach our scientific goals, we need all voices represented at the table, including those who have been historically excluded from critical scientific conversations. This funding will help academic institutions expand their research portfolios and spur future scientific discovery, creating a top-notch workforce to advance American competitiveness.”
Of the 44 institutions receiving grants, only six are historically Black colleges and universities. Two HBCUs received two grants. The HBCUs and the titles of their research projects are listed below.
West Virginia State University: Understanding the Role of Duckweed Transcription Factor in Triacylglycerol Metabolism and Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants
Florida A&M University: Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia on Single-Atom Alloy Catalysts
Florida A&M University: Optoelectronic Properties of Artificially Tailored Quantum Materials
Howard University: Rational Design of Concentrated Electrolytes for Beyond Li-ion Batteries with Machine Learning and Quantum Calculations
Howard University: Scale Up of Normalizing Flows for Likelihood-free Inference with Fusion Simulations
Morgan State University: Quantum Properties and Physics of Defects in 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides
Prairie View A&M University: Solution-based Synthesis of Structurally Well-defined Carbon Nanobuds and Their Energy Applications
Hampton University: Conceptual and Engineering Sesign and Construction of a Hampton University Located Stellarator
