“Our nation’s youngest and largest ethnic population is disproportionately under-represented in scientific teaching and research fields essential to sustaining our nation’s economic strength and security. These grants, which target those higher education institutions that serve the largest concentrations of Hispanic students, will go far in addressing that challenge by equipping our students with new opportunities to excel in critical science and research fields,” HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores said.

One-year instrumentation and research grants ranging from $108,000 to $400,000 will be awarded by the Office of Defense Research and Engineering of the Army Research Office to 17 colleges and universities—all members of HACU—in California, Florida, Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Texas and Puerto Rico. The grants will be used to expand scientific laboratories, acquire state-of-the-art scientific equipment, and enhance campus science courses, outreach and research.

The grants are being funded through the federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 U.S. Department of Defense Instrumentation Program for Hispanic-
Serving Institutions (HSIs). HSIs are defined as having a full-time student enrollment that is at least 25 percent Hispanic.

The grants are being awarded to: Barry University in Florida, California State University at Northridge, California State University at Bakersfield, California State University at Los Angeles, Donnelly College in Kansas, Florida International University, Mercy College in New York, New Jersey City University, Our Lady of the Lake University in Texas, Rio Hondo College in California, St. Mary’s University in Texas, Texas A&M University at Kingsville, City College, City University of New York, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of New Mexico, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.

HACU, with headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, and offices in Washington, D.C., represents more than 300 colleges and universities serving the largest concentrations of Hispanic higher education students in the United States.#

For more information, visit www.hacu.net