National Science Foundation Awards Morgan State University Nearly $3 Million in Research Grants To-Date in FY25

The “Excellence in Research: Measuring the Local and Global Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)” initiative examines the effects of corporate social responsibility on communities in Baltimore and beyond. Led by Dina El-Mahdy, Ph.D., Morgan associate professor of Accounting, the research project focuses on developing precise metrics to assess the social and environmental impact of CSR programs.

In the two-year project, researchers aim to gain insights into effective CSR practices and methods for enhancing impact by engaging with local businesses and other organizations. Key learnings from the study will be leveraged to address critical urban issues and evaluate how CSR efforts contribute to community development, economic equity and local environmental sustainability. Beyond the regional impact to be determined by the research, the metrics developed extend to global CSR implications, analyzing factors such as supply chain ethics and international development.

Research questions include how CSR can best address urban disparities, contribute to sustainability and foster productive partnerships among businesses, universities and communities to drive meaningful change.

Morgan’s Principal Investigator: Dina El-Mahdy, Ph.D., Accounting, Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management
Award Amount: $654,500
Date Awarded: Aug.15, 2024
Role/Scope: Prime

The HBCU Ujima Collective (Ujima-C) is a two-year partnership among five HBCUs — led by Morgan with collaborating institutions including Miles College, Howard University, Tennessee State University and Winston-Salem State University — focusing on building research capacity through a “Grow Your Own” model. This initiative addresses the shortage of skilled research administrators at HBCUs, enabling these institutions to develop a sustainable career pipeline for trained research administration and science professionals. Ujima-C’s adaptable training model, piloted and assessed at the five partner institutions, is designed to enhance research skills and provide career pathways for students, faculty and staff.

By equipping HBCUs with the necessary knowledge and skills to expand their research capacity, Ujima-C supports broader participation in STEM and fosters a stronger research culture within these institutions. Co-funded by the HBCU-UP program, Ujima-C aims to ensure that more African American students enter STEM fields and advanced study to foster a more proficient and diverse talent workforce.

Morgan’s Principal Investigator: Damon U. Bryant, Ph.D., Psychology, James H. Gilliam Jr. College of Liberal Arts
Award Amount: $579,990
Date Awarded: Sept. 11, 2024
Role/Scope: Prime

The “Youth Learning Science and Engineering While Developing Community-based Agency Through Resourceful Engagement in STEM” (Youth CARES) initiative focuses on improving middle school students’ STEM engagement and knowledge through environmental justice-oriented projects. By integrating engineering design with science inquiry, the Morgan research team led by James Hunter, Ph.D., associate professor of Civil Engineering, will work closely with a team from Purdue University’s College of Education and College of Engineering to seek methodologies to deepen students’ understanding of the Earth and physical sciences and inspire greater STEM interest and agency.

Youth CARES involves co-designing, implementing and refining two curriculum units with teachers and students. It emphasizes the connections between environmental health, sociodemographic factors and human impact on Earth. Nearly 2,000 students, including those from underserved and under-resourced communities, will serve as study participants, giving the study architects data to develop practical skills for informed community engagement. The project also includes professional development for teachers to enhance STEM pedagogy and content knowledge.

The four-year project involves a mixed-methods design that combines qualitative and quasi-experimental data collection and analysis techniques. Data from each project year will be used to develop, implement and revise the program. Supported by resources from NASA’s Earth System Observatory, Youth CARES’ evidenced-based insights will demonstrate how integrated STEM education promotes meaningful science and engineering learning in diverse, urban school contexts.

Morgan’s Principal Investigator: James Hunter, Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering
Award Amount: $554,600
Date Awarded: Sept. 3, 2024
Role/Scope: Collaborator

Morgan is partnering with Johns Hopkins University on a four-year, $2.7-million NSF National Research Traineeship (NRT) grant to create an AI-driven training program in semiconductor and microelectronics processing — optimally aiming to build a diverse, skilled workforce at the intersection of AI and microelectronics.   

The program focuses on AI-driven innovation in four areas: low-dimensional and quantum materials, advanced semiconductor manufacturing, computing hardware and next-gen electronics. Morgan students will be among 70 students working alongside 25 faculty mentors charged with leveraging AI to identify pathways to innovate and transform microelectronics design, fabrication and supply-chain resilience.

In addition to technical training, students will gain hands-on experience in semiconductor fabrication, internships, networking, career guidance and business insights for a comprehensive skill set. Morgan’s team of faculty researchers is led by Onyema Osuagwu, Ph.D., who serves as the effort’s principal investigator, and includes Co-PI and AI expert Kofi Nyarko, D.Eng., director for the Center for Equitable AI and Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS) at Morgan, and Co-PI and fabrication expert Michael Spencer, Ph.D., director for Morgan’s Center for Research and Education in Microelectronics.

Morgan’s Principal Investigator: Onyema Osuagwu, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering
Award Amount: $523,514
Date Awarded: Aug. 5, 2024
Role/Scope: Collaborator

Project SPLICE (Security and Privacy in the Lifecycle of IoT for Consumer Environments) addresses the security and privacy risks emerging with the rise of “smart homes” — residential environments equipped with interconnected Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These devices, embedded in single-family homes, apartments, hotels and senior living facilities, bring unique cybersecurity challenges affecting a wide range of stakeholders, including homeowners, renters, visitors and domestic workers.

SPLICE’s research focuses on three key areas: improving situational awareness in smart homes, developing interfaces that shift privacy management from users to expert organizations and creating a framework for understanding privacy expectations across residential environments. The project will recommend best practices for trustworthy IoT systems in homes, informed by stakeholder perspectives.

As SPLICE enters the fourth year of the five-year grant award period, the project’s scope extends beyond research by supporting STEM programs for middle schoolers, experiential learning for college students and outreach to encourage underrepresented groups in computing, advancing NSF’s mission of intellectual and societal impact.

Morgan’s Principal Investigator: Kevin Kornegay, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering
Award Amount: $279,663
Date Awarded: Aug. 27, 2024
Role/Scope: Prime

Pumtiwitt McCarthy, Ph.D., researcher and associate professor of Chemistry in Morgan’s School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, was awarded an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) grant providing a temporary assignment at the National Science Foundation headquarters and central offices.

Among the research initiatives under Dr. McCarthy’s direction at the NSF include Broadening Participation in Chemistry (CHE-BP) and Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP). Her oversight of the Chemistry of Life Processes program entails supporting experimental and computational research utilizing chemistry innovations to study biological processes’ molecular underpinnings. The program’s broad scope comprises bioorganic and bioinorganic chemistry; chemical biology; chemistry of lipids, membranes and membrane proteins; and protein, enzyme, nucleic acid and carbohydrate chemistry.

Dr. McCarthy also oversees the Broadening Participation in Chemistry initiative, which focuses on supporting education and training STEM professionals throughout their career journey to broaden participation and increase opportunities within the scientific community.

Morgan’s Principal Investigator: Pumtiwitt McCarthy, Ph.D., Chemistry, School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences
Award Amount: $207,766
Date Awarded: Oct. 10, 2024
Role/Scope: Prime

Edward Dillon, Jr., Ph.D., associate professor of Computer Science in Morgan’s School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, leads a $148,453 grant to support Hispanic/Latino student success in computing careers. This project, part of NSF’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering program, is developing culturally relevant materials and activities to enhance computing knowledge and technical interview skills for Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) students in the southeastern U.S.

Key goals include increasing HSI students’ awareness and preparedness for technical interviews in the computing field and offering hands-on experience working with core computing principles essential for career success. In addition, qualitative research will gather educator insights into improving Hispanic/Latino student employability, guiding the development of inclusive resources for HSI curricula. These resources will be shared in a regional workshop for HSI faculty and student leaders, promoting broader integration and impact across institutions.

Morgan’s Principal Investigator: Edward Dillon Jr. Ph.D., Computer Science, School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences
Award Amount: $148,453
Date Awarded: Aug. 23, 2024
Role/Scope: Prime

Research teams from Morgan’s National Transportation Center (NTC) and the University of Maryland, College Park, join forces to address mobility and accessibility faced by Baltimore’s night shift workers, an essential workforce who navigate limited transportation, increased safety risks and incidences of high crime rates, all further exacerbated by the recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The “CIVIC Stage 1” study will investigate job-location mismatches, evaluate workers’ transit needs and assess risks in high-crime areas. Research teams will collaborate with local communities, the Maryland Transit Administration and the mobility industry to identify solutions such as route redesigns, adjusted schedules and flexible transit options. Di Yang, Ph.D., Morgan assistant professor of Transportation and Urban Infrastructure Studies, serves as the PI on the study, and Mansoureh Jeihani, Ph.D., director of NTC at Morgan, serves as co-PI. 

This initiative, supported by NSF’s Civic Innovation Challenge, along with the Departments of Homeland Security and Energy, seeks to build resilient communities through co-design and adaptation.

Morgan’s Principal Investigator: Di Yang, Ph.D., Transportation and Urban Infrastructure Studies, Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering
Award Amount: $25,000
Date Awarded: Sept. 26, 2024
Role/Scope: Sub-Awardee

The project “A Consortium-Based, Stacked Mentorship Model for Building Inter-Institutional Research Capacity, Access, and Collaboration” aims to strengthen research capacity within a consortium of eight institutions through a tiered mentorship network. This “stacked mentorship” model pairs senior researchers with mid-career faculty, who then mentor graduate student-researchers, creating a knowledge-sharing cascade that expands research access for underrepresented groups.

Morgan is joined in the collaborative study by Florida A&M University, Florida International University, Hampton University, Howard University, Tuskegee University, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Michigan. Together, these institutions span various missions, sizes and institutional types, from HBCUs and MSIs to R1 and R2 research universities. This delivers a diverse participant pool of contributors and is essential to executing the “stacked mentorship” model central to the study.

This initiative will enhance research productivity, career development and collaboration across institutions, addressing the unique challenges of multi-institutional partnerships and fostering diverse perspectives to build a stronger, more inclusive research community.

Morgan’s Principal Investigator: Coleman Jordan, M.Arch., Architecture, School of Architecture and Planning
Award Amount: $8,501
Date Awarded: July 31, 2024
Role/Scope: Sub-Awardee