NASA awards minority university grants

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced the awarding of nearly $35 million in research grants to seven U.S. minority institutions.

Officials said the goal of NASA's Minority University Research and Education Program is to establish significant, multidisciplinary scientific, engineering and commercial research centers at the host universities that contribute substantially to NASA programs.

Officials said the grants will help increase the number of underrepresented minority group students who obtain advanced degrees in NASA-related fields.

The space agency said each university will receive up to $1 million per year for up to five years based on performance and availability of funds.

The university organizations selected to receive awards are: NASA University Research Center, California State University, Los Angeles; WaterSCAPES: Science of Coupled Aquatic Processes in Ecosystems from Space, Florida International University; Beltsville Center for Climate System Observation, Howard University; The Center of Excellence in Systems Engineering for Space Exploration Technologies, Morgan State University; the Center for Radiation Engineering and Science for Space Exploration, A & M University; the Center for Bio-Nanotechnology and Environmental Research, Texas Southern University; and the Center for Advanced Nanoscale Materials II, the University of Puerto Rico.