AIR FORCE AND DOD ANNOUNCE PLAN TO CREATE HBCU-LED AFFILIATED RESEARCH CENTER
The U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense (DOD) have announced a plan to create a 15th university-affiliated research center (UARC). The new center will be the first to be associated with a historically Black college or university and will also be the first UARC associated with the Air Force. The Air Force and the DOD aim for the newest UARC to focus its research efforts on "tactical autonomy."
"This nation must have a strong national STEM workforce, since the future of our national security is dependent on our ability to grow our STEM talent. We'll only accomplish this through the cultivation of a highly diverse workforce. Diversity of background and a diversity of ideas has always been the strength of this country ... We must tap into the HBCUs to grow a well-educated and well-trained workforce for the Department of Defense and this nation."
-- Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering at DOD