Larry Robinson, Ph.D.

FAMU Expands "REACH" in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Economic Development

Florida A&M University (FAMU) is building a one-of-a-kind innovation ecosystem that is designed to inspire and extend a culture of entrepreneurship across the region, state and, ultimately, the nation.

FAMU recently received more than $1 million in federal funding to strengthen entrepreneurship and technology commercialization on campus and in the community, and will use these funds to form the Research, Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Hub also known as REACH.

The goal of the REACH program is to advance community development and create networks of facilities and support services that provide a sustainable commercialization pathway for entrepreneurs and innovators.

NASA Exploration

President Larry Robinson and Scott Jones, Lockheed Martin director of Supply Chain Management on Civil Space Programs, have executed a new master agreement that enables FAMU students and faculty to work on NASA’s Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Program and other Lockheed Martin space exploration projects. FAMU is the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to participate in these efforts.

During the five-year collaboration, Lockheed Martin will provide up to $5 million in funding to FAMU through a series of task orders commissioning work related to space exploration. The contract signing ceremony was held at the assembly and test area for the Orion spacecraft, also known as the historic Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center.

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor building the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, NASA’s first spacecraft designed for long-duration, human-rated deep space exploration. Orion will transport humans to interplanetary destinations beyond low Earth orbit, such as asteroids, the Moon and eventually Mars, and return them safely back to Earth.

NOAA Center for Coastal & Marine Ecosystems

FAMU received a $15.4 million award over five years from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Educational Partnership Program (EPP) to establish the Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (CCME). The new award will allow the FAMU-led partnership to make profound national impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems education, science, and policy. The full suite of academic partners include:

• Bethune-Cookman University
• California State University – Monterey Bay
• Jackson State University
• Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
• University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley

The award was made after a national competition with rigorous criteria established by the NOAA EPP.

CCME institutions bring forth a wealth of relevant academic programs and faculty with extensive expertise in coastal and marine ecosystems. Additionally, CCME institutions have well-established records of educating students from underrepresented groups in NOAA-related science and policy, preparing graduates for productive careers and conducting high impact research.

FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., will serve as the CCME director and principal investigator. The interdisciplinary team at FAMU will include faculty and students from the College of Education, College of Science and Technology, College of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities, School of Business and Industry, and School of the Environment.

The Center has already begun its important work by developing an implementation plan that focuses on student recruitment. One of the unique requirements of the award is at least 50 percent of the funds are used to support students. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.