New Scholarship Program for Mechanical Engineers at Kentucky State University

The new scholarship program, funded by a grant from Toyota, will provide full-tuition scholarships for three years at Kentucky State and two years at the University of Kentucky.

New Alliance Seeks to Boost Black and Other Minorities in STEM Fields

Under the program, nine colleges and universities in Kentucky and West Virginia will seek to increase the percentage of minority students in STEM disciplines by 15 percent by 2016.

A New Post-Baccalaureate Research Program for Minorities in the Biomedical Sciences

The University of Georgia has launched a new post-baccalaureate research program aimed at increasing the number of students from underrepresented minority groups who pursue careers in the biomedical sciences.

New Program Provides Significant Aid for Minority Ph.D. Students in STEM Fields

Using a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 24 minority students at the University of Iowa will receive $40,000 scholarships over the next three years. The university will provide an additional $10,000 to the 24 students.

Morgan State University Enters Into STEM Partnership With Johns Hopkins

The first eight Morgan State University students will participate in internships this summer with the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute lasting between 8 and 15 weeks.

Karl Reid to Lead the National Society of Black Engineers

Dr. Reid has been serving as senior vice president of research, innovation, and member college engagement for the United Negro College Fund. Earlier he was associate dean for undergraduate education at MIT.

Two Universities Look to Replicate UMBC’s Success in Graduating Black Students in STEM Fields

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is allocating $7.75 million in an effort to replicate the success of the Meyerhoff Scholars program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County at Pennsylvania State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Summer Undergraduate Internships Boost Diversity in Ph.D. STEM Program

Last summer, eight Howard students spent eight weeks conducting bioengineering research on the University of California, San Diego campus. Now, two of the eight will enroll in the UCSD Ph.D. program in bioengineering.

Louisiana State University Is a Leader in Graduating Black Students With Ph.D.s in Chemistry

From 2005 to 2009, 19 percent of all Ph.D.s awarded in chemistry at LSU were earned by African Americans. Blacks were less than 10 percent of the chemistry Ph.D. recipients at the other 49 leading chemistry departments in the nation.

Florida State Scholar to Develop Centralized Lab System for the University of Johannesburg

Dr. Claudius Mundoma is the director of the Physical Biochemistry Facility for the Institute of Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University. He has been selected for a fellowship that helps African educational institutions with research collaborations, curriculum development, and training initiatives.

Alabama State University to Debut New Degree Program in Biomedical Engineering

The new bachelor's degree program in biomedical engineering will train students to develop the next generation of disease-fighting drugs, artificial organs, and medical imaging systems. The program will begin in the spring 2015 semester.

Florida International University to Refurbish a Planetarium at a Predominantly Black High School

Florida International University in Miami has announced plans to refurbish the planetarium at Booker T. Washington Senior High School in the predominantly African American neighborhood of Overtown.

Southern University Seeks to Expand Enrollments in Its Computer Science Program

A partnership agreement allows students who have a completed an associate's degree in computer science at Baton Rouge Community College to gain admittance to the bachelor's degree program in computer science at Southern University.

For Ph.D.s in STEM Fields, Blacks Are More Likely Than Whites to Have Non-STEM...

A new study finds that one of every six students who graduate with a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline pursues a career in a non-STEM field. For Blacks with doctorates in STEM fields, one in five pursue a career path outside STEM.

Black Degree Attainments in Engineering: Long Way to Go to Reach Parity

In 2005, Black earned 5.3 percent of all bachelor's degree awarded in engineering. In 2012, Blacks earned only 4.2 percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded in the discipline. Blacks did slightly better in graduate degrees in engineering.

Blacks Making No Progress in Physics Faculty

In 2012, Blacks were 2.1 percent of all physics faculty members at U.S. colleges and universities, down from 2.2 percent in 2008. Half of all Black physics faculty are at historically Black colleges and universities.

Black Undergraduates at Two HBCUs Participate in Prostate Cancer Research

Students from two historically Black educational institutions in Mississippi - Jackson State University and Tougaloo College - participated in a 10-week program this summer involving prostate cancer research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Boise State University’s New Institute Seeks to Boost Minority Students in STEM Fields

Boise State University in Idaho has announced the formation of the new Institute for STEM and Diversity Initiatives. One goal of the new institute is to increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of students graduating in STEM fields.

Traveling Exhibit Showcases African American Academic Surgeons

The National Library of Medicine and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture have developed an exhibit on the history of African American surgeons. The exhibit is appearing on campus across the United States and also online.

Alabama State University Scientists Receive Patent for Treatment of Respiratory Illness

Scientists at the Center for NanoBiotechnology at Alabama State University in Montgomery have received a U.S. patent for a new nanomaterial to treat respiratory syncytial virus, a major cause of respiratory illness in young children.

The Importance of HBCUs in Producing Black Doctorates in STEM Fields

More than one third of African Americans who hold a Ph.D. in a STEM field earned their undergraduate degree at a historically Black college of university.

Three HBCUs Receive Research Grants From the Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy has issued grants to three historically Black universities under its Support for Advanced Fossil Resource Utilization Research program. The three grantees are Delaware State, Clark Atlanta, and Prairie View A&M.

National Institutes of Health Funds Major New Diversity Effort in Biomedical Research

The 12 universities awarded grants will develop approaches to training and mentoring to encourage students from underrepresented groups to enter into and stay in research careers.

Two African Americans Among the 70 New Members of the Institute of Medicine

The Institute of Medicine, a division of the National Academies, has announced the selection of 70 new members. After an analysis of the list of the 70 new members by JBHE, it appears that only two are African Americans.

University of Cincinnati Aims to Increase the Diversity of Its Faculty

The provost’s office has allocated $1,170,000 to the faculty diversification effort during the current fiscal year. And the Office of the President has allocated $800,000 over the next three years for the effort.

Texas Southern University to Offer Two New Degree Programs in Engineering

This spring, Texas Southern University in Houston will begin a bachelor's degree program in civil engineering. In the fall of 2015, a new bachelor's degree program in computer and electrical engineering will be offered.

University Program Aims to Increase the Number of Minority Graduate Students in Neuroscience

The Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program at the University of Alabama Birmingham will provide support, direction, and mentoring for up to six students from underrepresented groups each year.

Tuskegee University Scientists Receive a U.S. Patent

Researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health at historically Black Tuskegee University in Alabama have received a United States Patent for a method to screen food for potential contamination by pathogens.

Mary Baldwin College Seeks to Increase Black Women in STEM Fields

The Advance Achievement for Minority Women in STEM will provide scholarships, research opportunities, and travel expenses for Black and other minority women so they can attend professional conferences and seminars.

Four Black Women Earn Ph.D.s in Chemistry at Jackson State University

Over the past 11 years, 23 African Americans have earned chemistry Ph.D.s at Jackson State University, or 2.1 per year. This is the second highest rate for African American Ph.D.s in the field in the United States.

Howard University Scientists Involved in a Pacific Ocean Research Expedition

Scientists from Howard University in Washington, D.C., are participating in a month-long expedition aboard the Ronald H. Brown, a research vessel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Black Physician at the University of Alabama Birmingham Leading Major Research Project

Alan Tita, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is leading research into the potential benefits and harms of pharmacologic treatment directed at mild chronic hypertenion during pregnancy.

A New Degree Program in Biomedical Engineering at the University of the District of...

The new degree program at the historically Black university is meant to help satisfy the projected 72 percent increase in jobs in the field over the next several years.

Report Finds That Women of Color in Science Face Both Gender and Racial Bias

Of the 60 women of color in STEM fields in the survey, all 60 women stated that they had been subjected to some sort of gender bias. In having to prove their competence to others, most of the Black women stated that race was more of a barrier than gender.

How Altruism Impacts Minority Students’ Academic and Career Paths in STEM Fields

A new university study finds that students from underrepresented minority groups are more likely to pursue courses of study and careers in the biosciences if they believe that pursuing this life path will help them solve problems in their communities.

Emery Brown Is Now a Member of All Three National Academies

Emery N. Brown, the Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering and Computational Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

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