U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Sam Bodman along with
officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today announced 10 minority-serving institutions have been selected to receive grants and cooperative agreements worth $3.3 million to develop educational opportunities in environmental sciences. The announcement, part of NOAA's new Environmental Entrepreneurship Program (EEP), was made during a ceremony held in Washington, D.C.

EEP is part of NOAA's recently announced $15 million Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions initiative. The awards will be distributed over the next three years.

Representatives from City College of New York, Florida A&M University, Howard University and University of Maryland-Eastern Shore were on hand to receive $10 million in funding to serve as lead MSIs in establishing Cooperative Science Centers. The centers will conduct research and training in the areas of remote sensing, environmental sciences, atmospheric sciences and living marine resources.

"Minority Serving Institutions are making significant contributions in the areas of engineering, math and science," said Commerce Secretary Don Evans. "The Department of Commerce commends these scientific efforts and the NOAA Educational Partnership Program is providing new opportunity to further these outstanding research and education programs."

Funds provided through EEP support educational experiences that combine course work with environmental "hands-on" stewardship and conservation. The goal is to educate and train students at MSIs, create jobs and develop environmental outreach projects while effectively managing natural resources.

"I am proud to award these institutions for the important work they will be conducting for our nation," said Bodman. "By creating opportunities like this for students, educators and researchers, we are building futures, furthering the goals of science, and protecting the environment."

NOAA's Educational Partnership Program with MSIs (EPP/MSI) is designed to support the development of quality education to students while meeting the prescribed goals of NOAA and the nation. Working with partner MSIs and other research and federal government institutions, the NOAA program provides opportunities and develops curricula for students to pursue careers in atmospheric, environmental and oceanic sciences and remote sensing.

"The Environmental Entrepreneurship Program benefits both students and our ecology," said NOAA Acting Administrator Scott Gudes. "By getting faculty and students out in the field, they gain precious experience they could not get in a classroom. Also, they're actively playing a part in research, management and protection, part of NOAA's objective."

In addition to the Environmental Entrepreneurship Program and establishing the four Cooperative Science Centers, NOAA's EPP/MSI initiative provides funding for an Undergraduate Scholarship Program and a Graduate Sciences Program to support the training of students attending MSIs in NOAA-related sciences.

Eleven EEP grants and cooperative agreements were awarded to 10 MSIs around the nation for specific educational, research and outreach projects:

• Jackson State University, Jackson, Miss. – Program Development and Enhancement in Fisheries Stock Assessment ($249,986)
• Howard University, Washington, D.C. – Environmental Studies Curriculum Development ($249,439)
• Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, Wash. – Research Projects in Tribal Restoration ($298,383)
• Northwest Indian Colleges, Bellingham, Wash. – Creation of an Associate of Science Degree in Habitat Assessment ($246,312)
• Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Ga. – Transformation of Wastes from Pond Shrimp and Fish Shoreline Agriculture ($299,999)
• Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, N.C. – North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Implementation Support Through Directed Research and Remote Sensing ($299,642)
• University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – Introducing Geographic Information Systems to the UVI Classroom: A Practical Approach to Integrating Technology ($214,673)
• Hartnell College, Salinas, Calif. – Hartnell College Earth and Environmental Sciences Outreach and Improvement Project ($249,998)
• Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, La. – Summer Experience in Environmental Discovery (S.E.E.D.) ($246,804)
• Sinte Gleska University, Rosebud, S.D. – Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Earth System Science Prototype Application ($300,000)
• University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico – A Capacity Building Program for Coastal and Marine Sustainability: Protecting Ecosystems and Enhancing the Educational and Professional Potential of Students ($299,984)

For more information on NOAA's Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions, please visit http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/~sdb/EPPS1.htm.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources.

To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.