The Geospatial Research, Innovative Teaching and Service (GRITS) Center at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is formalizing partnerships with academia and businesses, with the goal of strengthening the capabilities of the geospatial undergraduate and graduate programs at NCCU and increasing research and practical training opportunities for NCCU students. The award will establish two summer graduate research internships, one at the Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science at the University of Georgia and one at the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis. In addition, the GRITS Center will also create three summer internships for NCCU undergraduate students at the City of Durham Stormwater Division, and regional offices of the USDA Forest Service and the North Carolina Conservation Fund. This project seeks to address the major disparity that exists in terms of academic fields in which African Americans earn doctorate degrees (in Earth sciences in 2005 only two out of 379 Ph.D. degrees were obtained by African Americans) by strengthening the competitiveness of the instructional programs at Historically Black Colleges/Universities. This project directly impacts 8 students, but opens research avenues and professional opportunities for many more future geoscience majors at NCCU.
