FAMU President Larry Robinson is the principal investigator and director for the center.
The grant will assist the center in continuing to educate and train a new generation of scientists, particularly from underrepresented minority communities, in NOAA-relevant STEM disciplines and social sciences, equipped to utilize interdisciplinary approaches to address issues confronting marine and coastal communities.
All participating institution are designated as Minority Serving Institutions (MSI), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) by criteria established by the United States Department of Education (US DOEd).
The CCME was established in 2016 as a Cooperative Science Center through a competitive award funded by the NOAA Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI). The academic partners provide NOAA with access to a diverse pool of minority students who are underrepresented in areas critical to NOAA's mission. They also have a collection of highly qualified faculty members who are committed to engaging in teaching, service and research needed to support the desired outcomes of NOAA's goals.
The CCME student recruitment plan accommodates entry from associate degree programs at community colleges, undergraduate degree programs, master's degree programs and doctoral programs at partner institutions. Students will be recruited into a predetermined suite of coastal and marine ecosystem fields. Resources provided through this cooperative agreement will be leveraged with resources at each of the partnering institutions. The total student support anticipated over the five-year award represents 21 community college students; 34 undergraduate students; 44 masters students; and, 12 Ph.D. students.