2024 HBCU SCI Community Research Fellows
The inaugural cohort of HBCU Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) Community Research Research Fellows featured five student research teams with faculty mentors within various STEM and sustainability disciplines from four universities: Alabama A&M University, Hampton University, Jackson State University, and Tougaloo College. This highly competitive semester long research opportunity challenged students to critically think through and address sustainability issues relevant to their local community or broader region.
Community Research in Action
The HBCU SCI Community Research Fellows yielded dynamic results. Review below for their research topics and a listing of the student participants.
Washington, D.C. 2-Day Immersive Experience
The 2024 HBCU SCI Community Research Fellows were invited to present and attend the Payne Center for Social Justice’s Black Communities, Climates, and the Environment: A Summit on Science, Systemic Inequalities, and Solutions. The fellows shared their findings from their semester long research efforts.
In addition to the summit, fellows participated in a 2-day immersive experience that included an artist in residence Q&A and screening dinner, as well as a fireside chat with Lauren Alexander Augustine, Executive Director for the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Science. During the artist in residence programming fellows screened “A Chocolate Lens” by Smithsonian photographer Steven Cummings, which framed the nation’s capitol through a photographic journey of a disappearing Black Washington. The question and answer period that followed included contributions from Howard University alum Dr. Brandon Brown. Dr. Brown shared content around policy and advocacy for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their surrounding communities.
Each HBCU SCI Community Research Fellow team selected two students to represent their team to present their research project. Their session was entitled HBCU Sustainable Communities Initiative (HBCU SCI) Community Research in Action. The session featured all five research teams comprising of faculty mentors and undergraduate research fellows. It was moderated by Kelly D. Owens, PhD (Chief Impact Officer, INROADS). The research fellows summarized each team’s community action research process and preliminary findings. Post-summit the fellows were extended an offer for their research to be published in an upcoming academic journal.