'Blackness' in STEM to be studied through $8.8M grant led by UIC

A National Science Foundation (NSF) grant worth $8.8 million will be divided among six institutions to develop “theories, research methods and tools” that will help optimize STEM education for Black students.

Racial Equity in STEM Education is the NSF program that funds the project. As part of the program, researchers and practitioners will investigate “how considerations of racial equity factor into the improvement of STEM education and workforce.”

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The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is one of the universities receiving part of the NSF grant. Tennessee State University, Georgia State University, and the University of Texas at Austin are some of the other grant recipients.

UIC’s specific project is titled “Collaborative Research: EHR Racial Equity: Examining Blackness in Postsecondary STEM Education through a Multidimensional-Multiplicative Lens.” 

The goal of the project is to promote racial equality in STEM education and increase Black undergraduate students’ access to STEM research and engagement.

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According to UIC Today, “the five-year project will be led by Terrell Morton, UIC assistant professor of identity and justice in STEM education.”

“We assume that every Black person needs the exact same thing because of their racial identity as Black. The purpose of this project is to say that not every Black person is the same, even if they all racially identify as Black,” Morton explained.

Campus Reform reached out to all university administrations that received grant funding and Terrell Morton. This article will be updated accordingly.