Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2024-23

2024 Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCUs/MIs) Opportunities Workshop

Thursday, July 25, 2024: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM Eastern

Friday, July 26, 2024: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Eastern

Location: Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA 22202

Join us for the 2024 Department of Defense (DoD) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MIs) Opportunities Workshop and Intern Seminar aimed at expanding awareness of DoD opportunities! Explore funding opportunities from DoD and other Federal Agencies through engaging panel discussions. 

This free workshop is designed to increase collaboration among the DoD, HBCU/MI faculty, students, and stakeholders. The goal is to partner with the DoD to increase the research and educational capacity of HBCUs/MIs and foster workforce diversity and entry of underrepresented minorities into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines important to national defense. Find more information about why you should attend see the About Page.
Workshop participants will:

• Have the opportunity to engage and network with DoD program staff.
• Attend panels to learn about DoD opportunities for engagement and collaboration.
• Gain insight into DoD processes for partnerships, grants, and careers.
• Learn best practices for the preparation of proposals and resumes.
• Learn about faculty and student research, internship, and fellowship opportunities.

NSF: Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Enriching Learning, Programs, and Student Experiences; Gen-4 Engineering Research Centers; Hispanic Serving Institutions: Equitable Transformation in STEM Education (ETSE); EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement-Focused EPSCoR Collaborations Program (RII-FEC); Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE): Core Programs, Large Projects

NIH: BRAIN Initiative: Brain-Behavior Quantification and Synchronization – Transformative and Integrative Models of Behavior at the Organismal Level (U01)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: Enhancing Quantum Sensor Technologies with Rydberg Atoms (EQSTRA); DoD Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health, Translational Research Award; Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) Office-wide

Department of Energy: Solar Technologies’ Rapid Integration and Validation for Energy Systems (STRIVES); Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives; Vision OPEN 2024; Fiscal Year 2025 Distinguished Early Career Program

Across the Army, units lean into drone experimentation: In speech after speech, Army leaders have made it clear that they want more drones in more units.  “We're going to see robotics inside the formation, on the ground and in the air,” Army Chief of Staff Randy George told Defense One in March.  Now a growing number of Army units, and particularly their junior officers and enlisted soldiers, are engaged in wide-ranging experiments to answer George’s call—and learn to train for, field, and operate their new systems.  “No longer is a drone just a safety net” for soldiers on patrol, said Capt. Adam Johnson, commander of Gainey Company, an experimental unit that serves as a hub for trying new technologies and tactics in the 82nd Airborne. “They have a purpose.” Gainey’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems platoon is tasked with evaluating the technical aspects of commercially available small drones. Johnson said first-person-view, or FPV, drones have proven particularly useful, in part because their low cost means they’re easier to experiment with. The unit builds its own FPVs from scratch by assembling components from approved suppliers. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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DHS sets its research sights on 8 emerging technologies: Artificial intelligence, advanced sensing capabilities and biotechnologies are three of the eight emerging technologies in which the Department of Homeland Security plans to invest more agency resources over the next seven fiscal years, according to a new strategic plan released on Tuesday. Outlined in the new DHS Innovation, Research & Development Strategic Plan, eight scientific areas will be research focal points to further solidify U.S. national security posture. The areas listed in the plan include advanced sensing, AI and autonomous systems, biotechnology, climate change, communications and networks, cybersecurity, data integration and analysis, and digital identity and trust. These will guide DHS’s internal research efforts for the fiscal years 2024 to 2030. More information is posted on the NextGov website.