Warner & Kaine Announce Nearly $1 Million for NSU STEM Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine
announced that Norfolk State University, a historically black university,
will receive $999,845 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to
enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) academic programs
in an effort to recruit and retain African American students in the
science community.

“For future generations to succeed, we must continue to promote and
improve our STEM programs at every level and in communities of color,”
said the Senators. “Enhancing STEM programs in elementary and secondary
education curriculum’s was a top priority for us during our governorship’s,
and we are excited that the National Science Foundation will help Norfolk
State University pursue this valuable endeavor within higher education.”

In 2015, Warner and Kaine sponsored the Virginia Science
Festival<http://www.vtmag.vt.edu/winter15/virginia-science-festival.html>

in partnership with other Virginia colleges and universities to promote
interactive STEM research projects across the Commonwealth. Last month on
Capitol Hill, the Senators hosted hundreds of Virginia students at a
screening of the film Hidden Figures that tells the stories of three
trailblazing African-American women ‘computers’ at NASA Langley to promote
the study of STEM disciplines.

Today’s funding is made available through the NSF’s Historically Black
Colleges and Universities Research Infrastructure for Science and
Engineering (HBCU-RISE) which supports the development of research
capability at HBCUs that offer doctoral degrees in science and engineering
disciplines.