North Carolina Central University News December 16, 2015 Department of Defense Funds Bio-sensor Research at NCCU North Carolina Central University has received a $188,798 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to conduct research into chemical and biological sensors used in national security and defense. The grant grew out of the university's participation in the Minority Serving Institutions STEM Research and Development Consortium that links research institutions with needs identified by the U.S. Army. The grant was among of the first two issued by the consortium, which was founded in 2014. "We are developing a stronger relationship with the Department of Defense, and expect this first grant to lead to additional funding," said Dr. Undi Hoffler, interim vice chancellor of research and economic development for NCCU. "As our research through the Mary Towns Science Complex, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI) and Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE) continues to progress, our developments in the biological and life sciences increasingly speak to the needs of the nation." NCCU's Marvin Wu, professor of physics and mathematics, will be the principal investigator on the project titled Exploring Chemical and Bio-Sensors Operating at the Quantum Frontiers. The consortium is based at Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center in Maryland, the nation's primary site for non-medical chemical and biological research. It was created in 2014 to encourage and enhance research and educational initiatives of historically black and other minority serving institutions in areas of importance to national defense. The Department of the Army created the consortium to increase diversity in its programs, and NCCU was one of the first HBCUs to get funding, Hoffler said. Edgewood is home to the Research Development and Engineering Command for the U.S. Army, which provides federal funding for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) research and education projects that meet identified needs of government and the private defense industry. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance/ 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.