NSF Award
2218392
The goal of this project is to address sustainable built environments through the development of diverse research teams that will design projects based on this grand societal challenge. The planning grant team will us Vetiver Grass, to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) in Mississippi wetlands to mitigate climate change, as a focus to guide conversations in the space of engineering sustainable built environments. The team of PIs includes a highly-qualified social scientist that will play a large role in the outreach and communication activities with different researchers and students during the planning grant activities. This innovative and intentional research will serve as the catalyst to create knowledge and experiential learning to broaden the participation and capacity building of underrepresented groups (URGs) in Engineering through the creation of an effective network of partnerships across the Engineering and other disciplines among Historically Black Universities and Colleges (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWI), and collaborations with High and Middle Schools in the state of Mississippi.<br/><br/>The Jackson State University Team in collaboration with partnering institutions of learning in the state of Mississippi aims to broadening the participation of URGs, including women in engineering by implementing a program that incorporates 1) innovative research leveraging the unique properties of vetiver grass to sequester CO2 and mitigate climate change, 2) conference participation, seminars and outreach, 3) create dialogue to understand the barriers to participation in engineering among URGs and women, 4) elevate interest in engineering through innovative and engaging research projects and its impact on cultural and societal change, and 4) cultivate an environment of collaboration and partnerships to elevate the level of participation to create sustainable pathways in engineering. The team at Jackson State University are well positioned to create a network of partnerships and collaborations with other HBCUs, MSIs, PWIs, and High Schools in Mississippi. They will create and disseminate knowledge by orchestrating and implementing a Conference and Seminars to broaden the participation of URGs in Engineering and building capacity of well-adapted and highly trained innovative engineers to impact societal change and development.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
