Florida A&M University Confers Ph.D.s in Physics to Two Black Women
According to the National Science Foundation, 1,902 people earned Ph.D.s in physics at American universities in 2013. Only 18.8 percent were women and only 19 were Black. Now two Black women have earned Ph.D.s in physics at the same university in the same year.
North Carolina Central University to Offer New Dual-Degree Program
Under the plan, students will spend their first-three undergraduate years at North Carolina Central taking a physics-based curriculum and then transfer to North Carolina State to take courses in electrical engineering.
Students at Harris-Stowe State University Can Take a Computer Science Course for Free
Students at Harris-Stowe State University, the historically Black educational institution in St. Louis, will be able to take a computer science course for free at nearby Washington University.
New Study Finds No Progress in Increasing Black Faculty in Chemistry
African Americans make up just 1 percent of the chemistry professors at the 50 U.S. colleges that have the largest budgets for chemical research. Thirty of these 50 schools have no Black chemistry faculty.
Two Black Scholars Elected Members of the National Academy of Sciences
The two African Americans elected members of the National Academy of Sciences are Scott V. Edwards, a professor of biology at Harvard University, and Jennifer A. Richeson, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University.
Diversity in STEM Fields Is a Social Justice Issue, Study Finds
Amassing critical numbers of underrepresented students is important, but achieving enrollment targets does little to improve the problems in the campus culture that affect students and contribute to their failure to complete degree programs.
New Study Documents Degree Completion of Minority Doctoral Students in STEM Fields
One important finding in the Council of Graduate Schools report was that minority doctoral students had the most difficulty when they entered the dissertation phase of their doctoral programs.
Grambling State University Nursing Program Obtains a Reprieve
State regulations in Louisiana require that an accredited nursing program maintain a licensure examination passage rate of 80 percent or above for first time test takers. In 2013 the passage rate at Grambling was 64 percent.
Blacks Make Up 4 Percent of Employed Scientists With Doctorates
According to a report from the National Science Foundation, Blacks with doctoral degrees made up 3.1 percent of the employed computer sciences, 1.9 of the physical scientists, and 1.7 percent of the engineers.
Auburn University Scholars Promote Mathematics Research in Southern Africa
Professor Overtoun Jenda and colleagues at Auburn University have developed the Masamu Program to promote research collaboration between mathematicians in southern Africa and the United States.
The Large Racial Gap in Graduate School Enrollments in STEM Fields
In 2012, Blacks were a very small percentage of the overall graduate student population in many STEM disciplines. For example, there were only eight Black students nationwide enrolled in graduate programs in astronomy, about 0.6 percent of total enrollments in the field.
The Next President of Meharry Medical College
James E.K. Hildreth is dean of the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Davis. From 2005 to 2011, Dr. Hildreth was director of the Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research at Meharry.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
