The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded Jackson State University $75,000 — the largest of seven grants totaling more than $490,000 given to prestigious universities in five states to advance standards education. Under the Standards Services Curricula Development Cooperative Agreement Program, recipients will work with NIST to integrate instruction related to standards and standardization into undergraduate and graduate curriculum at U.S. colleges and universities.
“Jackson State University is pleased to be one of six universities to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology. Our senior undergraduate and graduate students in electrical engineering, computer engineering and computer science and other students in emerging multidisciplinary fields of telecommunications will benefit from this award that will design, develop and deliver a course that meets these high standards, said Dr. Evelyn Leggette, provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs.
“We offer congratulations to Dr. Tarek El-Bawab and his team for submitting and competing for this outstanding award,” Leggette added.
Standards provide industries and innovators with a common language that facilitates trade, simplifies transactions and enables people to work together toward greater common goals that cut across disciplines and borders. NIST supports the development of standards by identifying areas where they are needed, convening stakeholders, and providing technical and scientific guidance and expertise to help stakeholder groups reach a consensus. These grants help to promote U.S. leadership in standards development.
“The curriculum program has grown significantly since it was introduced in 2012, which demonstrates the growing appreciation for the value of standards education,” said Warren Merkel, chief of standards services at NIST.
“Students in many fields, and in turn industry and the global economy, benefit from standards education. We plan to continue to focus efforts on integrating standards into curriculum and investing in the next generation of leaders in the standards community,” Merkel said.
Other NIST recipients for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015:
Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Penn., $60,000)
Jackson State University (Jackson, Miss., $75,000)
Michigan State University (East Lansing, Mich., $74,997)
University of Hartford (West Hartford, Conn., $66,492)
University of Houston (Houston, Texas, $74,887)
University of Pennsylvania – award one (Philadelphia, Penn., $74,314)
University of Pennsylvania – award two (Philadelphia, Penn., $66,694)
As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. To learn more about NIST, visit www.nist.gov.