Bowie State University News October 4, 2010 Bowie State receives $753,000 for computer science doctoral program The highly recognized applied computer science doctoral program at Bowie State University (BSU) has been awarded a $753,000 grant, by the United States Department of Education. The five-year grant, a result of the Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGI) Title III program, will be used, among other things, to provide scholarships to BSU students interested in the doctoral program. "We will utilize the grant for special assistance in preparing students within the particular program to conduct research and become leaders in computer science and technology, and to develop advanced educational skills to meet the demands of high-tech job markets," said Dr. Sadanand Srivastava, chair of the Department of Computer Science at BSU. "This is a great way to solidify the capabilities of Bowie State University to design, deliver, and support quality instructions using Web and other emerging technologies." HBGI Title III is part of the Higher Education Act of 1965 that authorizes special assistance to strengthen the quality of developing institutions, like BSU, which have the desire and potential to make a substantial contribution to the higher education resources of the nation. Amendments to the act have altered some elements of the program, but it remains an instrument to provide assistance to institutions demonstrating a constructive effort to strengthen themselves. "The desired use of the grant is to build the applied computer science doctoral program and to develop students' in-depth knowledge of current computer science and technological research methods, processes, and tools in order to enable them to conduct high-quality research," said Dr. George Acquaah, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at BSU. "It will also be used to help the department provide expert instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels." The applied computer science doctoral program is designed to provide opportunities to students to attain advanced knowledge in the area of their choosing such as internet technologies, distributed computing, computer networks and communication, network security, satellite remote sensing image processing, and multimedia technologies. It is one of two doctoral programs at BSU, the other program is the doctorate of Educational Leadership, and it is home to the only supercomputer in the University System of Maryland. Srivastava has served Bowie State as professor, chair and prolific grant writer for the Department of Computer Science, where he has been continually engaged in active research. He has been awarded more than $7.5 million in grants and contracts. His work has been published in national and international journals, and his areas of interest include applied analysis, computational methods, artificial intelligence, and user interface systems. He has also taught in India, Canada and Iraq, giving him a global perspective in education. Srivastava served on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Applied Information Technology Initiative (MAITI ) and served as a member of advisory board for Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN). SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org www.hbculibraries.org 404.592.4820 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/meeting-form.html for the October 24-26, 2010 HBCU Library Alliance 4th Membership Meeting and the "Conference on Advocacy" pre-conference in Montgomery, AL. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.