Jumpstart DEEP Research Engagement between UIUC and Morgan State Engineering Faculty

Lynford Goddard (Electrical and Computer Engineering) 
Ashleigh Wright & Ellen Althaus (Grainger Administration)

Research Problem 

The impact and success of Grainger Engineering will be shaped by the extent to which we bring together diverse talents, experiences, and perspectives to address the world’s most significant challenges. As a College, we must examine the ways in which we engage with talent across the STEM enterprise in order to foster inclusivity and innovation and attract faculty and students. Thus, we embark on a strategic partnership with Morgan State University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) to engage faculty, develop systemic and sustainable initiatives, strengthen inter-institutional partnerships, foster inclusive environments, and increase the diversity of graduate student, postdoc, and faculty populations.

Vision

The “Jumpstart Deep Research Engagement between UIUC and Morgan State Engineering Faculty” project, funded by the Grainger College of Engineering Office of Research's Strategic Research Initiatives, serves to 1) jumpstart research exploration and relationship building between UIUC and MSU faculty during summer 2023; 2) demonstrate evidence of ongoing work and commitment to the UIUC-MSI collaboration; and 3) build a stronger case for new Center proposals that expands this model to include additional MSIs.

Larger Impact

Through this initiative, we seek to establish a model of inter-institutional partnerships, particularly between predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and historically black college/university (HBCUs), improve equity and inclusivity within the research and teaching environments across institutions, and increase the diversity of the faculty and students of our engineering programs.