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.
Morgan State University, the historically Black educational institution in Baltimore, received a $3.1 grant from the state of Maryland to fund the Center for Research and Education in Microelectronics. Housed within the School of Engineering’s department of electrical and computer engineering, the Center for Research and Education in Microelectronics will use its funding to support education and research centered on the design and fabrication of microchips. In addition, the center will focus on training and workforce development in semiconductor manufacturing. The center will augment its equipment base with a new state-of-the-art “clean room” and tools designed to assist with research initiatives that focus on the design, manufacturing, packaging, and testing of semiconductors. Michael Spencer, professor of electrical and computer engineering, will be the inaugural director of the new center.
Historically Black Texas Southern University in Houston was awarded a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to expand the work of the Center of Excellence for Housing and Community Development Policy Research. The research conducted by the center will focus on individual and community wealth building, and housing security and stability. In addition, the center will assess planning and infrastructure inequity affecting underserved communities.
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas received an $18 million funding award from the nonprofit Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to investigate ways to improve postpartum health among primarily low-income Black and Hispanic women. The study will employ two models of care to determine which one results in earlier detection and treatment of complications among mothers after delivery. One group will receive virtual education and communication via push notifications; the other will have regular telehealth visits.
Historically Black Fayetteville State University received a $150,000 grant from the North Carolina Black Entrepreneurship Council to support entrepreneurial innovation on campus and in the community. The grant will fund online entrepreneurial education and other resources to regional entrepreneurs and students through innovative curricula and wraparound services.
Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, received a $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to fund the university’s Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program. The program is a one-year internship for college graduates that addresses the critical transition into, and successful completion of, rigorous biomedical, research-focused, doctoral degree programs. It is designed to support students from historically underrepresented groups as well as first-generation college students. These students may not have had access to research experiences, academic programs, or dedicated mentorships that can help position them for success in graduate school.
