NASA Funds the Future

NASA is awarding $11.7 million to eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that will enable their students and faculty to conduct innovative data science research that will benefit agency missions.

The award is part of NASA’s 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).

“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 HBCUs selected for DEAP funding are: • Bethune-Cookman University • Fayetteville State University • Florida A&M University • Lincoln University • Morgan State University • North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University • North Carolina Central University • Prairie View A&M University

MUREP supports and invests in the research, academic, and technology capabilities of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).