NASA Awards 11.7 Million to Eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Enable Data Science Research.
NASA is awarding $11.7 million to eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through the new Data Science Equity, Access, and Priority in Research and Education (DEAP) opportunity, which is a collaboration between the agency’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) and the Science Mission Directorate (SMD).
According to the agency, the awards will enable HBCU students and faculty to conduct innovative data science research that contributes to NASA’s missions.
“NASA is tackling how to use the latest techniques in data science combined with the volumes of data produced by our missions to answer questions about our changing planet,” said Dr. Steven Crawford, NASA SMD Senior Program Executive for Scientific Data and Computing. “Working with students from HBCUs will not only engage the generation that will be most affected by these subjects but will help NASA scientists and engineers address these challenges.”
The awarded projects have up to three years to increase the number and research capacity of STEM students at HBCUs and prepare the future workforce for data-intensive space-based Earth sciences.
The HBCUs selected for DEAP funding are:
• Bethune-Cookman University
• Fayetteville State University
• Florida A&M University
• Lincoln University Missouri
• Morgan State University
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
• North Carolina Central University
• Prairie View A&M University
“We’re pleased to make progress through awards like this to intentionally build the STEM pipeline of the future, especially in communities of color,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
“It’s fitting during Black History Month that we make this tangible step to build on the talent pool at HBCUs in our ongoing work to bring to the table all the talents and perspectives we’ll need to send humans to the Moon, Mars and beyond, and do amazing science throughout the solar system.”
