Vision Statement
Build relationships with and among Historically Black Universities and Colleges (HBCUs) to further partnerships and provide opportunities on both the faculty and university levels.
Purpose
The USRA HBCU Science and Technology (S&T) Council provides expert assistance to USRA in engaging and partnering with HBCUs. It serves as a resource by providing guidance on emerging trends, institutional capacity building and other areas of interest within the HBCU community. It also serves as a platform offering HBCU faculty and students the ability to partner and engage in research projects, professional development, and networking opportunities with USRA and its government sponsors in a variety of space- and aeronautics-related fields.
Membership
The USRA Board of Trustees appoints the members of the HBCU S&T Council. Members are selected based on their standing within their university and within the HBCU community. The President and CEO of USRA appoints the chair of the Council.
Capabilities
The Council provides a forum for exchange of ideas to further research opportunities at HBCUs. The Council welcomes presentations by federal agencies about opportunities for both individual and institutional research levels.
The member HBCUs have a wide range of research capabilities in state-of-the art facilities for all STEM science and engineering fields. Links to their research pages are provided with each of the Council members.
Dr. Jeffrey A. Isaacson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Council Activities
The Council meets twice a year, discussing issues relevant to the HBCU research community and connecting HBCUs with agency leaders and government sponsors. Below are links to agendas and materials for each of the meetings.
Council Members
Victor McCrary
Chair, USRA HBCU S&T Council
Vice President for Research
University of the District of Columbia
UDC Research Facilities
202-274-7443
victor.mccrary[at]udc.edu
Neelam Azad
Vice President for Research
Hampton University
Office of the Vice President for Research
757-728-6580
neelam.azad[at]hamptonu.edu
Lawrence Potter
Interim Assistant Vice President for Research
Bowie State University
Natural Sciences Research
301-860-4236
lpotter[at]bowiestate.edu
Majed Dweik
Vice President of Research & Economic Development
Alabama A&M University
Division of Research and Economic Development
256-372-7010
majed.dweik[at]aamu.edu
S. Keith Hargrove
Provost and Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs
Tuskegee University
Research at Tuskegee
334-727-8164
skhargrove[at]tuskegee.edu
George Miller
Dean, School of Graduate Studies & Research
Norfolk State University
Research at Norfolk State University
757-823-8909
gemiller[at]nsu.edu
Melissa Hodge-Penn
Interim Vice Chancellor, Division of Research & Economic Development
North Carolina A&T State University
Research at NCAT
336-334-7995
mhodgepenn[at]ncat.edu
Michelle Penn-Marshall
Vice President for Research and Innovation
Texas Southern University
University Research Centers
713-313-7477
michelle.penn-marshall[at]tsu.edu
Charles Weatherford
Vice President for Research
Florida A&M University
Division of Research
850-412-5102
charles.weatherford[at]famu.edu
Kennedy Wekesa
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Alabama State University
Research and Centers
334-604-8109
wekesa[at]alasu.edu
Council Member News
- NSF Ideas Labs to Advance Research Capacity at the Nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- CHIPS for America Workshop on Accelerating R&D for Sustainable Semiconductor Materials
- UDC To Host the 2024 Vista North America Hackathon
- 'The Future for HBCUs is Very Bright’: UDC Featured in Maryland Public Television’s ‘HBCU Week’
- Alabama State University Biology Professor Awarded NSF Grant
- NSF Awards $450K Grant to Alabama State University’s Engineering Program
- Alabama State University to Host Regional NSF “H.E.R.O.” Workshop
- Hampton University receives $4.9M to Establish Interdisciplinary Climate Science Degree Program
- Hampton University Hosts NSF Clean Energy Technology Workforce Accelerator for Fusion Conference
- Hampton University Hosts APRA-H Conference to Accelerate Health Research and Innovation
- Hampton University Awarded a $1.7M Grant to Help Develop a New Stellarator Experiment Group to Advance Research in Fusion Plasma Science