Blackvoicenews.com is reporting that Morgan State University will receive a landmark $28.5 million portion of a massive $95.8 million, five-year grant from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The grant will allow the Baltimore HBCU to conduct research supporting NASA's earth- and space-science projects. It is the largest in Morgan's 144-year history and will help the HBCU play an integral part in the Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research Studies and Investigations research team. The article reports:
"This grant represents a significant recognition of the quality of Morgan's academic programs and research in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)," says Dallas R. Evans, chairman of Morgan's Board of Regents, in a prepared statement. "I am proud that NASA has acknowledged the talent of the students on our campus by selecting Morgan as a partner in GESTAR."
The Universities Space Research Association will lead the GESTAR participants, which includes Morgan professors and graduate students. The team will study some of the most prolific and pertinent issues in modern science, including atmospheric chemistry, polar climate change, oceanography and more.
School President Dr. David Wilson, who announced plans to double grants and research at Morgan in 10 years during his inaugural speech, celebrated the grant and its potential impact on students. "Morgan is committed to its graduates being strong, not just in the STEM fields but also in critical thinking and global awareness, and that is exactly what this grant will do," said Wilson in a statement. "I am convinced that through this partnership, our students will be provided with even richer experiences and many more opportunities, for example, to do internships at NASA. On the other hand, NASA benefits from having access to a more diverse body of talent from which to recruit in the future."
Kudos to Morgan State University and other HBCUs for understanding the value not only of STEM research but also critical thinking and global awareness. Major props for making it happen in a measurable and impactful way.
Read more in Blacknewsvoice.com.
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